Sequel to Hidden Threats: Hidden Joys
by mozartmaid
Summary: Lois and Clark have to pick up the pieces after Clark is left without his powers. Only Lois takes an unexpected journey... through time.
1. Chapter 1

_VRA FAILS IN SENATE, GENERAL GUILTY OF TORTURE by Lois Lane  
_

Clark stared at the headline, soaking in the truth of those words. Justice had been served, and heroes like himself were safe again. Although when Lois had shown Clark her article yesterday, she had been rather upset that Luthorcorp would come out of everything unscathed. All of the company's research on meteor rock was property of the US government, so Luthorcorp couldn't in any way be implicated.  
Besides, the nature of the torture was being publicly reported as held in captivity and poisoning prisoners, which would make tying the torture to Luthorcorp explicitly a bit difficult.

While it gave Clark some comfort to know that Wilson was in jail, he felt nervous about the government having so much access to research about him. Sam Lane promised to do all he could to have the research destroyed and Lois had it confirmed that the facility under Fort Abrams was in the process of being shut down.

Clark hoped it was enough to close that dark chapter forever.

~L&amp;C~

_Nine days, seven hours, four minutes, and seventeen seconds._

That's how long Clark had been home, and his powers still hadn't returned.

Clark sat on the porch with his son, Joel, soaking up the sunlight, like he did every day that it wasn't raining. But his effort to recover felt futile…and he felt useless… He could barely do chores around the farm, let alone be Metropolis' hero.

Clark sighed, knowing he was being hard on himself. It was only that he had been confident that he'd get his powers back. He had told Lois that he would face whatever happened, but he had been so sure that this was only temporary. As much as he had wanted to be normal in the past, he knew he was destined for something more.

Clark calculated how many hours he'd spent in the sun over the last week… more than enough to recover, surely. At least, before his encounter with Slade it had been enough. But he had never sustained such a long exposure to green kryptonite before, and he was uncertain whether there actually wasn't kryptonite in his body. He had recollections that he thought could be nightmares, of his food being laced with kryptonite, but he had been delusional for most of the time in that cell, and couldn't rely on his memory. If he had taken kryptonite into his system, who knew how long it would take to get rid of it, or if he even could.

Joel, who was crawling around, exploring the confines of the porch, gave Clark a happy baby smile. Clark couldn't help but smile back at his son, despite his concerns. At least while he had some time off, he could spend it with Joel. And his son was one unexpected joy that was some comfort to him, despite all that had happened.

~L&amp;C~

Lois watched Clark play with Joel from the kitchen, feeling a bit pensive herself. She knew that Clark was more worried about getting his powers back than he let on. She just wished she knew what she could do to help him…

She tried to be there for him emotionally, and even held him a few nights when he woke up from nightmares, reliving the terror he had faced at the hands of General Slade Wilson. There was an almost indelible mark that Slade had left on Clark, and Lois feared that the only way to take it away, to make him whole, was to get his powers back somehow.

But sun therapy wasn't working…

And Clark seemed to be withdrawing into himself more and more. He seemed to think he wasn't enough without his powers, and his loss in confidence broke Lois' heart. She had tried to reassure him, and during the few days after he got back, when it still seemed likely that he'd fully recover, he had appeared to believe her. But with each passing day, Lois saw him crawl into himself more and more, and she wasn't sure how to pull him back out again.

~L&amp;C~

"You two seem to be having fun," Lois said lightly, coming to join Clark and her son on the porch.

"He's amazing, Lois. So much personality, you know?" answered Clark, sounding like a proud father.

She laughed. "Indeed I do. I hang out with him on a regular basis, remember? We're best buds."

Lois came to sit beside them, where Clark had lain out a blanket and some baby toys. Her eyes searched Clark surreptitiously under her lashes, as she looked for any sign that he might be recovering.  
The first few days she'd ask if he was feeling better, but somewhere around the last three or four days, that question had become painful. Instead she turned her attention to Joel.

"Ew, didn't you catch a whiff of that, Smallville? Our little man needs a diaper change, stat!" she said, lifting up her son. "I swear, he can be toxic as all get out, and yet I still melt when he smiles at me like that."

Clark gave her his own smile, which Lois suddenly realized was mirrored in Joel's. "I know. Gets me every time, too. You want me to take him?"

"No, that's okay. You…um, have fun out here. I'll bring him back in a minute."

Lois headed into the house, wondering how much longer they could play this charade of everything being fine, when both of them knew things weren't fine. She knew they both loved Joel to pieces, but Lois was running out of ideas about how to take that weight of worry off Clark's shoulders.

She saw it in every headline they read, where they both knew the Blur could have made a difference. She'd change the channel when the newscasters would start speculating on where the Blur was and why he wasn't there to rescue this family from a fire, or that man from a shooting.

The world looked like a very dark place without Clark there to save the day, and Lois hated it as much as he did. But she didn't blame him, not one bit. Though she knew, on some level, Clark blamed himself—and as much as she knew he loved her, she couldn't take that burden from him.

Lois sighed, setting Joel on the changing table, going into auto-diaper-change mode as she began mumbling her concerns to her son. Something she found herself doing a lot lately.

"I just don't know what to tell him, Joel. You know? I'm sure he'll eventually get his powers back, but I guess I'm seeing how much being the Blur is a part of who he really is…. Yet I still see the guy I fell in love with—before I knew Daddy's secret. Yes, I do," she added playfully in a baby voice, as she tickled her son's tummy, getting a gleeful gurgle from him.

"But Smallville doesn't see it, and that's what's important," she added in her regular voice, sprinkling on baby powder. "I don't know… maybe Jor-El has some ideas."

Joel gave her a quizzical look, shoving his fist into his mouth experimentally. "You remember Grandpa Jor-El, right? He helped bring you into this world… sort of. The big ice castle thing?" She didn't get a response. "No? You don't remember?" She secured Joel's diaper, chucking the dirty one into the diaper genie as she continued to think aloud. "You know, I wonder if he would help… I doubt Clark would want to go… but maybe I can convince him…"

Suddenly inspired, Lois hefted Joel onto her shoulder, almost forgetting his soggy giraffe on the dresser before Joel almost started crying. "Ooops, sorry," she said, reaching for it to give to him. "Yech… kiddo, we need to get you a new favorite toy. Cause this one has to go in the wash soon… and who knows how we'll get through a wash cycle without your favorite buddy to gum to death."

Lois bounded down the stairs, noticing that Clark was still outside, though he had moved to the front yard and was doing something with the tractor. She shook her head, "Well, at least he's doing something. I suppose that's progress…. Come on, kiddo. Let's see if I can find Clark's disk thingy, and can convince him to go see his ice daddy."

~L&amp;C~

Lois hadn't realized how dusty and disused the barn had gotten. Clark had cleaned up a little bit where the equipment was used, but his old hangout upstairs was covered in dust.

"Maybe I should have left you outside with Daddy, little one. This place is—achooo!" Lois sneezed. "—is in serious need of a good cleaning."

Lois shuffled through Clark's drawers, forgetting exactly where Clark kept his All Access Pass to the Fortress. She sifted through one drawer, pulling it out to be able to see its contents better. She let out another aggressive sneeze and the drawer went tumbling off her lap.

"Oh, shoot," she muttered, gathering the random oddities that Clark had collected over the years. "You know, for a planet that exploded, a lot of it sure made its way to Earth," she commented wryly to Joel, who was sitting next to her.

The spilled contents caught his attention, and as she was gathering small leaden boxes of various kinds of kryptonite, she saw Joel crawl towards something.

It was small and gold, and had hit the floor with a light 'ping'… "No!" Lois cried, diving for the Legion ring just as Joel was about to reach it. Suddenly, they were both surrounded by a bright purple light, a sensation Lois suddenly recalled…

It was dark outside and Lois looked around cautiously, pulling Joel into her embrace. "Oh Joel… what did you do? I can't blame you, though… I got in trouble touching that thing once, too," she said, tucking the gold ring into her pocket. She kissed her son's head, knowing that without her own trip to the future, she may never have had him. "But the question we need to be asking ourselves is when are we?"

As Lois slowly made her way down the steps, she saw a remnant of an orange streamer, an overlooked leftover from Chloe's disastrous wedding. She glanced around, noting that while most of the wedding decorations had been taken away, and the disaster that Doomsday had left behind had been cleaned up, there were still a few signs of the horror that had occurred that day. A bloodstain here, a broken beam there. But most poignant of all, were the pieces of detritus left behind from the wedding.

Lois walked slowly towards the farmhouse, all the feelings during that time coming rushing back: her heartbreak for her cousin, the fact that Jimmy would die at the hands of Davis… and, how Lana had swept in, distracting Clark away from almost kissing her for the first time.

She wasn't sure what she would do, or how she would explain Joel. She thought about just putting the ring back on and going somewhere – anywhere but here. But she feared that ring, and she hoped that Clark would know something about how to use it. If she could explain her presence here to him at all.  
Lois paused, thinking. She knew her present self was with Jimmy in Star City. Could she pretend to be the same Lois…and maybe just babysitting for a friend?

She hugged Joel tighter to her, who started a soft garble of half cry, half baby talk. He was beginning to sound fussy, which meant he probably needed to eat soon. She'd either have to find a way to feed him in secret, or have an explanation as to why she had a baby with her, ready to go.

And Clark? She felt her throat tighten with emotion, knowing it would be hard to hide the truth from him, but also knowing that he wasn't so sure of his own feelings during this time. She couldn't hit him with the truth, even if he would believe her.

Lois felt the ring in her jeans pocket. Either she put the ring on and risked sending her and Joel into a more dangerous time, like that future apocalypse, or she faced the fears of her heart.

~L&amp;C~

The porch light was on, but Lois wasn't sure anyone was home. Joel was getting antsier by the second, and she needed to get him something to eat. Cautiously Lois opened the front door. "Hello? Is anybody home? Clark?"

Hearing no answer, Lois stepped inside, as the door was unlocked. And while that wasn't unusual, it still made her uncertain whether or not she was alone. "Hello?" she called again, this time halfway up the stairs. When she again received no answer, she started raiding the fridge, looking for something she could mash up for Joel to eat. Luckily, she found some applesauce, which, while not a meal, would tide him over until she could figure out their next move.

As she dug out a spoon and started feeding Joel, she wondered if Clark had realized they were missing yet. Clark had said during her trip to the future, she had been gone three weeks in the present. And though she had no memories of that experience, from Clark's retelling of events he had witnessed, it seemed she had experienced a much shorter time span. Again, she thought of slipping on the ring, but caution held her at bay.

Joel finished eating and was now ready for bed. Lois headed upstairs to her old room, assessing the sleeping possibilities. She decided to make him a makeshift bed, knowing he'd stay conked out in one position for most of the night anyway. She checked the wardrobe, and found several extra blankets, which she used to form a sort of barrier around where she laid Joel in the center of the bed.

Once Lois settled him in, she headed downstairs to wait for Clark to get home, and hopefully, find the courage to ask for his help.

~L&amp;C~

As Lois headed down the stairs, the kitchen door suddenly burst open, and there stood Clark and Lana, in each other's arms, grinning ear to ear.

Lois tried to tamp down the feeling of jealousy and anger she felt surge through her, knowing that during this time she was sitting in a hospital room with Jimmy fighting for his life. Not to mention that she and Clark had come so close to acknowledging the very real connection they had. She knew that he and Lana had gotten back together briefly after Chloe's wedding. But seeing it right before her eyes was another thing all together.

"Hi," she said awkwardly, with a small wave. "Um, don't mind me."

"Lois," Clark responded, momentarily looking rather confused. "I thought you were in Star City with Jimmy."

_Yeah, glad my absence afforded you time to renew old flames, Smallville. _"Well, uh, he's doing okay, and Chloe said she'd head out there in a few days and I uh, just came by to see if you still needed help uh, cleaning up the barn."

Lois noticed that Clark had stepped away from Lana during this exchange. A little telling, as usually old lovers about to reunite telegraph it to the world around them. She felt some relief at that. On some level, he must know that his heart didn't really belong to Lana anymore.

Something else struck her about Clark suddenly. As she looked into his eyes, she saw that hope, that confidence that had been missing since he was held captive. The force of it hit her in the chest, and she tried to hide her emotion, glancing away.

"Look, I guess I'll just um—" she couldn't think of what to say. She couldn't leave, although it was clear that at least Lana wanted her to, by her body language. But Joel was sleeping upstairs, and to be honest, she was happy to interrupt this little reunion. Lana had caused Clark nothing but heartache, and though Lois didn't know the details of how everything ended between them, she knew that their relationship had just made it that much more difficult for Clark to acknowledge what he felt for her.

Suddenly, a baby cry made Lois' decision for her.

"What's a baby doing here?" Lana asked.

Lois plastered on a smile. "Babysitting. Um, yeah, for a family that was at the wedding. They are in the hospital and—"

"I thought you just came from Star City," Clark pressed.

Lois could hear Joel's cry become ever more urgent and her maternal instinct, as well as the fight or flight one, was kicking in.

"Could you two just excuse me for a moment?" she said, before diving up the stairs.

She found Joel crawling around the bed, having pushed off one of the barriers onto the floor. Lois felt like a horrible mother, fearing what could have happened to Joel if he had rolled off the bed. She picked him up and cuddled him. "Sorry, Joel. Wasn't really thinking," she said softly, suddenly feeling terribly lonely.

Clark was just down stairs, but he felt a million miles away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Present**

Clark worked on the tractor, feeling better to be doing something with his hands. But he was sweating in the hot sun, which he wasn't used to. He suddenly realized why his father always carried a bandana in his back pocket on hot days to wipe away the sweat.

Clark brushed his arm over his brow, suddenly feeling very weak and tired. As his arm came back into view, he noticed little beads of green sweat. Clark stared at it in fascination, until he realized what it meant.

This is the reason his powers hadn't returned. Green kryptonite _was in his system._

He wiped the toxins off his body, suddenly longing for a shower, but knew the cause of his delayed recovery went deeper than just the residual green stuff on his skin. He wondered if there was a way to remove it from inside him.

Clark actually felt some relief. At least he knew what the problem was. His powers weren't gone forever. But it also meant he had to figure out a way to get well again. Kryptonite in his blood stream long term couldn't be good either.

He'd see Dr. Hamilton in the morning.

Clark looked around, realizing he hadn't seen Lois and Joel in a while. He wondered what they were up to. He also had a strong desire to tell Lois his little discovery. Clark knew he'd been exceptionally moody lately, and he wanted to make it up to her. Maybe he'd do something romantic, like set up a candlelight dinner in the barn, or do something she'd find fun, like go to a monster truck rally. He felt a slight pang of discomfort thinking about that. Both because he didn't really understand her love of monster trucks and because he still felt residual guilt over how he had handled that first potential date.

Clark finished up with the tractor, packing in his supplies. He headed to the barn to put his tool box away. As he set down the toolbox, he started thinking about how he might do up the barn to make it more romantic, opting to avoid bringing up his failed first date attempt by going to a rally. It would probably be better to do it in the loft, though Clark knew it had been a long time since he'd been up there. He started loathing not having his super powers again, as before he could clean it up in a heartbeat. Still, he might as well check it out to estimate how much real time it might take to make it a romantic little bistro.

As Clark climbed the steps, he noticed fresh footprints in the dust. He wondered who had been up here. Possibly Lois, but why? As Clark reached the landing, his heart stopped, seeing his drawer of Kryptonian relics tossed all over the floor. Who had been digging through his things, and more importantly, why? Clark started collecting the objects, mentally cataloguing what he knew was in the drawer. Jor-El's crystal, five carefully locked boxes of kryptonite, his journal… what was missing?

The Legion ring.

Clark immediately ran down the steps to head into the farmhouse. Lois and Joel had to be there, because the alternative idea was terrifying to contemplate. Or would it be worse if someone else had been up there, digging through his things?

Clark burst into the kitchen. "Lois! Joel? Where are you?" Not seeing them downstairs, Clark bounded the steps, two at a time. "Lois? Are you up here?" Each second that passed without finding them sent Clark into a deeper panic.

Finally, after rushing around the entire house, Clark had to reconcile what he already knew. Lois and Joel were gone, vanished somewhere in time.

~L&amp;C~

**January, 2009**

It was like being snapped awake out of a dream.

Clark watched as Lois headed up the stairs, having seen that look of hurt in her eyes, and he had the desire to follow after her. He glanced down at Lana, who was holding his arm, hoping to continue what they had started on the roof of the Daily Planet, and Clark was suddenly very confused.

Chloe had mentioned to him earlier that he needed to be careful of Lois' feelings with Lana back in the picture. But had Lois really developed feelings for him? She knew his history with Lana—mostly. But if she did feel something, then he knew he couldn't sleep with Lana with Lois under the same roof. Besides, he suddenly wasn't sure that was such a good idea anyway.

Clark sighed, disentangling himself from Lana. "I'll go talk to her. Maybe she can stay at the Talon," he said, though he wasn't convinced by his own suggestion. Sending Lois off to the Talon was tantamount to the same thing as announcing he and Lana were planning on more than just a make out session tonight.

His comment seemed to placate Lana though, and she nodded, letting him go.

Clark paused on the stairs, out of sight from both females as he tried to gather his thoughts. Just yesterday he had been on the verge of kissing Lois. And while a kiss wasn't necessarily a declaration of anything, he knew in that moment he had wondered what it would be like to be with Lois in a relationship. And he had seen in her eyes that she had been scared of the prospect as well, which told him it would mean something to her if he had kissed her.

And Lana… his teenage crush was a different woman now. Clark knew that. He had been shocked that she had gone so far as to don a super suit to be with him, but he had been willing to buy into her dream.

"…_that's why it's so important to live in the present. Whatever happened in the past and whatever happens in the future, it doesn't matter."_

He had told her that it did matter. He thought about all the times Lana had hidden from him, had even gone so far as to marry Lex. And their future?

With Lana, he knew it was just a dream that they could fight evil together. Surely their past would come back to haunt them; the lies, the manipulation. He realized it had been incredibly selfish of Lana to don that suit. She was forcing him to undo a choice he had already made. Having the power suit made her think she was his equal. But he had known for a long time that it wasn't his powers that made him who he was.  
His parents had instilled in him his character, and the difference between right and wrong. He knew that with Lana there had always been a few more shades of gray than he was comfortable with.

Clark sighed. Perhaps Lois' untimely arrival had just saved him from making a huge mistake.

Clark heard Lois with the baby, making little cooing noises. She seemed on rather comfortable terms with the baby, and he wondered when Lois had become good with children. He always thought she chose to stay away from them. Still, it endeared him to know that she had this side to her.

He knocked gently on the door. "Lois?"

"Come in, Clark."

He saw her, sitting on a chair in the corner with Joel in her arms. "Not sure where I should take him," she said, sounding slightly defensive, like she feared she was about to be thrown out.

"You can stay here, Lois," he answered, his voice full of compassion.

She shook her head. "All things considered, I'd rather not."

Clark met her eyes, seeing the hurt there. He had been right. Lois did feel something more for him than she had let on. "Lois, nothing will happen with me and Lana tonight," he said quietly.

"Oh," she answered, half between a sigh and a question.

Clark let out a puff of air, trying to get past the awkwardness of the situation. "We just need to talk… But um, Lois? Why are you babysitting, again?" he couldn't help asking, still puzzled as to why she had a baby with her.

"For a friend. Sorry… I uh, well, I didn't plan on coming here. Let's put it that way."

The baby was smiling at him, and Clark couldn't help but be drawn in. He sat down on the bed next to them. "He's a friendly little guy. What's his name?"

Lois hesitated a moment, seeming a bit distracted. "Joel. Would you like to hold him? I just changed his diaper, so he's safe."

Lois passed the baby to Clark, who immediately grinned, looking down at the baby.

"He certainly likes you," Lois commented softly. She then sighed, her hand going to her pocket. She paused in her movements, biting her lip. "Well, Smallville, I uh, guess you should get back to Lana, huh?"

Clark's smile froze on his face as he turned to look at Lois. Then he sighed as he passed Joel back to her. "Yeah, I—need to sort some things out with her. But Lois, please—please don't feel uncomfortable staying here tonight. I promise, nothing will happen, okay?"

She looked relieved at his words, and answered him with her own smile. "You don't have to make me any promises, Clark. But trust me when I say I appreciate it nonetheless."

~L&amp;C~

Clark found Lana pacing in the living room. She smiled when she saw him come down the steps.

"So, is Lois and the baby heading off to the Talon, or what?" she asked, reaching up to give Clark a kiss.

Clark sighed, knowing this was going to be hard. His libido had been tempted by the possibility of being with Lana tonight, but he knew it would be a mistake. And an even worse one with Lois here.

"Lana, we need to talk," he said, taking her hand and bringing her to sit by him on the sofa.

"Oh, I thought we were past the talking stage and moving on to more…interesting things," she said playfully as they sat down.

Clark sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. "Lana, I—don't think this is such a good idea."

She nudged him. "Why, because Lois is here?"

Clark nodded. "That's just one reason… But Lana, you and I have changed. And just because you donned that suit…Lana, it doesn't mean we can be together."

He glanced at her, and saw the hurt in her eyes. But there was an underlying anger there too that took him aback. "Clark, I don't understand. I thought we were going to give this a shot. You and I, saving the world together, remember? What happened?"

Lana had been right. She is a distraction. "Lana, it's just—too much. And I—I'm not sure what I feel anymore. I mean, so much time has passed, Lana. And there were just so many—lies. From both of us," he admitted quickly, knowing he hadn't always been entirely innocent. " And I wonder, if we weren't just caught up in the idea of what we could be…rather than look at what we are."

"But Clark, I did this for you. For us. So that you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, don't you see?" she asked, her eyes bright with tears.

Clark shook his head, warring with himself. His heart was still drawn to her, but his head was very much aware of her manipulation. "No, Lana. You did it for you. While a part of me will always care about you… I can't forget the past. And I can't ignore who I am now."

"What did Lois say to you?" Lana asked, full of incredulity. "I thought -I thought you wanted us to be together."

"Don't blame Lois. She just made me realize that—I've changed, that's all."

"But Clark, I love you. I've always loved you… I don't understand." She leaned into him, touching his arm. Clark knew it would be so easy to believe her, to fall into her arms and forget everything.

But he couldn't. He couldn't forget the look on Lois' face just moments ago. Or how Lana had continually lied to him, and had even married Lex. She was trying to force feelings on him that he hadn't felt for a long time. He admitted that he was surprised at seeing her at Chloe's wedding, and how all those feelings from years ago had come rushing back. But looking at his present, and how far he had come with working at the Planet and being the Blur—he realized that Lana had been a distraction. And one he had almost willingly let carry him away again.

And then there was Lois.

She obviously cared about him. And she had been by his side in ways that Lana never could have been. Though he hadn't told Lois his secret, she had been able to see more of who he was, and had just been there for him. He couldn't betray that now just because Lana had walked back into the picture.

He wasn't sure if he wanted a relationship with Lois, but he wasn't willing to throw away the chance just to reconnect with Lana.

He needed time to think.

Lana was watching him with an expectant expression. "Well, Clark?"

"Lana, I'm sorry. I guess I just got carried away. But I can't see this working. At the very least, we need time to get to know each other again. And I—I'm just not sure what I feel. I'm sorry."

"Oh, I see," she said, sounding on the verge of tears. She sat back on the sofa, crossing her arms. "It's always some excuse, Clark. Whenever you and I get close to being together, you pull away. I don't get it, Clark. I mean, before, I know it was about your secret. But now? Why throw away this chance?"

"Lana, you have to understand. Things have changed. I've changed. But you just came here, without any warning and expect that we can just pick up right where we left off. And I'll admit, I was tempted… but it is a dream, Lana. A fantasy of what we were—or what we hoped to be."

Lana sat up, shaking her head. "Do you know why I did this, Clark?" she asked, indicating the suit grafted onto her skin. "I did it to be with you. To be strong enough so that you wouldn't have to protect me anymore."

"Lana, I don't know what else to say. At the very least, I need some space. I just need to –think. That's all I am asking. A little space. Can't you understand that?"

Lana stood up, the tears that had appeared earlier now spilling onto her cheeks. "Sure, Clark. I'm always the one waiting for you. Waiting for you to realize that you can trust me. That we belong together." Lana headed for the kitchen door. She turned to him before she left. "If Lois won't make use of the Talon, then I will. Good night, Clark. Hope you figure out what you want," she said indignantly, slamming the door before she sped off into the night.

~L&amp;C~

Clark sat on the sofa for a long time, just thinking. He was sure he had made the right decision, though he felt bad about it. Lana was hurt, he knew that. But perhaps he was saving her from a larger hurt when he let his underlying concerns come to the surface – which he knew would have, eventually.

After about an hour, when he realized Lana wasn't coming back to the farmhouse, he headed upstairs. It was late, after midnight, and he knew Lois must be sleeping. If she had been up, he was certain she would have come downstairs after Lana left. To at least see how he was. Because that's the kind of thing she would do.  
_  
Face it. Lois is just a nicer person than Lana. _Clark sighed. He knew there was more to it than that, but he wasn't ready to admit the full depth of his feelings for Lois yet.

Still, he had a sudden urge to check in on her, to see her sleeping. And to check on that little guy. It still surprised Clark why she was babysitting, but he also realized that random altruism was a part of Lois as well. She could be loud, brash, and irrational, but she always had a good heart.

Once more he thanked whatever had brought Lois here tonight. He had almost fallen into the Lana trap once again, but Lois had saved him. She'd splashed the metaphorical cold water on him that he'd needed to come back to reality.

"Lois?" he said softly, gently tapping the door to her room. When he didn't hear her answer, he used his super hearing to listen in. Both Lois and the baby were asleep, as Clark could tell with their slow, deep breathing.

He just wanted to see them again. He didn't question the urge too much, but instead, let himself have this small pleasure.

He opened the door a crack, and while he saw Lois sleeping peacefully, what else he saw gave him a shock. The baby was floating at Lois' side.

Clark started to close the door, then opened it again, just to be sure what he had seen. He knew he should be spooked by what he saw, but instead he was curious and oddly fascinated. Did Lois have some meteor-infected friends that produced a super powered baby? Had the baby been exposed to meteor rock?

Or, the more far out possibility—was the baby somehow Kryptonian?

Joel floated gently back into the crook of Lois' arm, and she settled him closer to her.

Clark watched, captivated. Whoever the baby was, he wasn't a run of the mill babysitting job. Lois slept with the little tyke like she had done it many, many times.

And he couldn't recall an instance where Lois had ever mentioned knowing someone with a baby before.

Something was going on here, but Clark was too tired to demand answers tonight. He slowly closed the door, full of questions.

But they would have to wait until tomorrow.

~L&amp;C~

Lois awoke to the sound of Joel's hungry cries. She stretched and opened her eyes, wondering why she was in her old room. Then, she remembered the ring. She sighed and sat up, pulling Joel into her arms.

"Let's go, kiddo. We've got to feed you and I've got to figure out a way to get Clark to help us…"

Lois padded into the kitchen, peeking in the fridge for what she could mush up for Joel. She was surprised to see a few selections of baby food.

"I didn't see a baby bag, and figured if you were staying overnight…" Lois heard Clark say from behind her. "I, uh, ran to the store this morning."

"Thanks, Smallville," she said with a genuine smile. But as she glanced around the kitchen, she reminded herself again that she wasn't home. There was no highchair for Joel. Lois sighed as she shut the fridge door.

"Everything all right?" Clark asked, pouring himself some orange juice. "Want some?"

She nodded. "Sure. Uh, yeah, I guess. Maybe I should ask you that? How'd it go with Lana?" Lois couldn't resist feeding her curiosity. Lana was obviously not there, so she assumed things hadn't gone so well – at least for Lana.

"It's—complicated. But, I—" he sighed. "I don't think we'll be heading down that road again, if that's what you mean. Lana and I – I think we're on different paths."

Lois was pleasantly surprised by what she was hearing. She kept her gaze focused on Joel as she fed him baby carrots, fearing Clark would read too much into her emotions. She was glad that she hadn't been there the first time around with Clark and Lana. But she wondered if she had been brave before and stayed, if Clark would have reached the same conclusion.

"I guess I've moved on more than I thought," Clark added.

Lois glanced up at him, surprised by the genuine affection she saw in his face. They were still hiding from each other at this stage in their relationship in the past. But perhaps interrupting Lana and Clark's interlude had helped Clark see things a bit clearer.

Lois was curious about what Clark might say to her present self, but she also worried about tampering too much with time. Clark had moved on from Lana in their original time line, so she didn't think she had affected things too much. But that brought to the fore her problem – about how to get home.

Clark was eying Joel carefully. "So, Lois, how long are you babysitting this little guy for?"

"Um…a few days. Not sure really, why?" she said vaguely, finishing the last few bites of mushy carrots herself since Joel was full.

Clark glanced at her through hooded lashes. "Who did you say his parents were?"

"I didn't. Why?"

"He just seems like… an interesting baby. And friendly. I guess I can see why you don't mind watching him." Joel was smiling up at Clark, his face covered in carrots. "Here, let me help," offered Clark, reaching for a clean towel.

Lois watched as Clark played and cooed with Joel. She had seen Clark do that often, but for him to connect with Joel and not know it was his son—well, it just made her miss home all the more.

How much could she tell Clark? Would knowing about their future together change anything? The change she feared most was somehow losing Joel. She worried telling Clark the truth would make him reconsider their relationship. He wasn't exactly gung-ho about relationships at the moment, either. Lana had thrown him for a loop, and knowing that they have a kid together in the not too distant future – she didn't want past Clark to fear that. If he pulled away from her even more now, she didn't know what it could mean for their future.

She didn't know, and couldn't know. But she was unsure how to use the Legion ring to go home, and the ring frightened her. She just wanted to get back to her Clark. She knew he had his own problems to deal with, worried about not getting his powers back. But Lois was confident he would find a way to be well again. And besides, what mattered most to her was them all being together as a family. And that couldn't happen as long as she was stuck with this Clark in the past.

Lois knew it was a risk, but she had to ask for Clark's help. She pulled the ring out of her jeans pocket and laid it on the table between them. "Clark, do you know what this is?" she began carefully.

She saw the recognition in his features, but it was instantly hidden. "A little bit garish, wouldn't you say? Even for you, Lois? Where'd you get that?" he asked, laughing nervously.

Lois didn't have the patience to dance this dance with him. She couldn't pretend she didn't know the truth about him, not after all they'd been through. She felt just a little hurt at how much Clark had lied to her in the past. She understood that he had thought it was for her own good, but it still rankled that he hadn't trusted her.

"Clark, drop the act, please," she said flatly. Then she crossed her arms, shifting on her feet. "I—I'm not exactly who you think I am," she began cautiously.

"What act, Lois? What do you mean?" Clark responded, in a falsely light tone.

"The ring, Clark. You know what it is, don't you? And what it can do?" she prodded, hoping he'd be honest with her. "Joel and I were in the loft while I was looking for something, when wham—we ended up here."

Clark swallowed, looking like he had been struck in the chest. "Are you saying you're from the future?"

"How do you know I'm not from the past?" she queried, curious as to how Clark knew that.

Clark seemed to contemplate how much to admit to her, then sighed. "The ring. I only got it a few days ago."

"Oh… interesting," was all Lois said, as that information hung in the air between them for a moment.

Clark glanced at Joel, a wrenching curiosity on his face. "And the baby? Is he—yours?"

"Yes," she answered directly, wiping her son's messy face once more. "He is."

"Oh…" Clark paused. "Do you mind if I ask, who the father is?"

Lois turned to Clark, wanting more than ever to tell him the truth, but not sure it was prudent to do so. She was only about a year in the past, but she had come a long way with Clark since then. Besides the potential consequences of telling Clark the truth, she simply wasn't sure he was ready to handle it yet. "Look, Clark. I don't know much about how this time travel thing works, but maybe it isn't such a good idea for me to tell you everything… all I want to know is, can you get us home?"

~L&amp;C~

Clark stared at Lois a moment, unsure what to tell her. He had seen Joel float last night, which made him want to push Lois for answers. And knowing that they were from the future—Clark wanted to ask her a million things. He wondered if she knew his secret. She knew about the ring, but that didn't preclude her knowing about how he acquired it, did it?

But there was something else. What if Joel were his son? Clark felt an unexpected excitement well up inside him at the possibility. It would not only mean that there was hope that Krypton could live on here on Earth, but it would mean that he had a future with Lois. The idea felt so right, but it was just as suddenly tampered down by the possibility Joel might not be his… Joel could have gotten his ability because of meteor rocks.

Clark met Lois' eyes, which were watching him with her own curious stare. He wondered if he could read the truth there, somehow. Were they together in the future? He noticed Lois had on an engagement ring, and another pang struck him in the chest. He hadn't realized until now that he wanted to be that future partner for her, that he wanted to be Joel's father.

The hope, and fear that he was wrong, made it difficult for him to speak. He almost didn't want to know. He had only ever vaguely fantasized about what a future with Lois might be like, but if this were the reality – it took his breath away.

"Clark? Are you all right?" she asked, uncertainty clouding her voice. "Did I say too much?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm all right, Lois. Just – shocked, maybe."

Lois touched the ring on the countertop between them. "Do you know how to use this thing? How to send us home?"

He felt a little helpless as he shook his head. "All I was told was to focus on a year in the future. I didn't know it could take you into the past… "

"Well, knowing is half the battle, GI Joe. So, you think if I just concentrate on my present time, I'll go home when I slip this on?"

Clark nodded, hoping he was right. "As far as I know, yeah."

Lois picked Joel up, shifting him so he was comfortably in his arms. "I'm just worried about where I might end up with this little one, you know?" she asked, kissing his head.

"I—saw something. Of the future, and it wasn't pretty… But Clark—you were the one, really. You fixed everything so that terrifying future never happens, it's just—I want him to be safe."

He suddenly didn't care whether or not Lois knew his secret. He realized that she knew him, with or without it. Her implicit trust in him was the same trust he had experienced with her talking to Lois as the Red Blue Blur. And whatever they were to each other in the future, she obviously still trusted him. He watched as she held Joel closer to her, and he knew she'd do whatever it took to protect her son. He didn't know for certain if Joel was his, but he knew that Joel's father – and Lois' presumed fiancé—was a lucky man. He hoped that man might be him. "You're a good mother, Lois," he offered softly.

She gave him a warm smile. "Thanks."

Clark knew she was ready to leave, about to put the ring on again and hopefully return home. He wanted her so desperately to stay, and tell him more about the future, but he thought he understood her reticence. Whatever she knew about their future, was for him to discover, whether he wanted it that way or not. "So you're not going to tell me anything else, are you? About the future?" Clark pressed, hoping to glean just a little more about what lie ahead of him.

Lois hesitated a moment, seeming to feel bad about leaving him with so many questions. "Just this," she said, and then leaned in to kiss him, surprising him. "Don't worry about Lana, and don't forget about me." Lois grabbed the ring and started to slip it on. "See you in the funny pages, Smallville."


	3. Chapter 3

**Present, Watchtower**

Dr. Emil Hamilton looked closely at Clark's blood results under a microscope. "Well, if being able to use a regular needle on you with no meteor rock wasn't already an indication, this certainly proves it. You have less than .5% of kryptonite in your bloodstream. Not enough to kill you, but enough to keep you from getting your powers back," Emil said, peeling off his rubber gloves.

"Is there anything I can do about it? Any way to get rid of it?" Clark asked anxiously.

"Maybe if there was some way to neutralize it…" mused Emil, as he turned to his computer, searching for something on the internet.

"Neutralize it…" Clark repeated, mulling it over, wondering how he might accomplish that.  
Then he remembered. "Like Lana's necklace," he said out loud. Emil gave him a puzzled look, and Clark continued on to explain. "Years ago, Lana had a green meteor rock necklace. And, long story short, it was neutralized by a blast of light from my space ship," he said somewhat sadly, recalling when his ship had exploded so many years ago. "That same –energy might be accessible in the Fortress. Jor-El may have a way of helping me get rid of it," Clark said optimistically.

Emil eyed Clark skeptically. "Interesting. I honestly have no idea," he said, shaking his head. "But it might be worth a try, at least."

~L&amp;C~

Clark drove back to farm, the feelings of hope and worry warring within him. There still hadn't been any signs of Lois or Joel. Clark knew they were lost in time somewhere, but without knowing when, he wasn't sure what he could do. Even if he had his powers, he didn't have a second Legion ring to go after them.

Still, Clark thought it was important that he get his powers back first. Maybe Jor-El would have a way of finding Lois and Joel.

Clark reached the farm and parked his truck. He hadn't been in the barn since Lois and Joel had disappeared, and he was reluctant to go in there again. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, wondering why Lois had been up there in the first place. She knew how dangerous the ring was as well. How could she have just let the ring make them disappear?

He hoped it hadn't been on purpose, doing something foolhardy like looking for some way to right the wrong that Slade Wilson had done to him. Clark sighed; she wouldn't be so foolish to do something like that with Joel with her. Maybe it had just been an accident?

Clark headed towards the barn. Whatever had happened to them, Clark hoped that whichever iteration of himself Lois ran into, that he'd help them somehow return home.  
Clark climbed the stairs to the loft, once more wondering what Lois could have been doing up there. He walked over to his bookshelf, and found the disk that would take him to the Fortress. He hoped Jor-El could help…

~L&amp;C~

Clark headed into the Kawatche Caves, realizing he hadn't been there in a long time. As Clark entered the caves, he noticed the faint smell of a bonfire, and saw some beer cans lying on the ground. It might not be a well-known spot in Smallville, but apparently some teenagers knew about it.

Clark took out the disk and laid it on the table, creating a portal of light. He stepped into it, feeling the cold wind of the Fortress blast him in the face as he was transported from the caves. He had never noticed how cold it was there before, and gained new respect for how well Lois had handled her visits there, especially during the birth of their son.

Clark felt a pang of worry, thinking about them. But he hoped they'd find their way back to him soon. And if not, then Clark would find a way to locate them. Perhaps he could contact the Legion somehow – but he needed his powers first.

"Jor-El!" Clark called into the wind. "Can you do anything about the kryptonite in my body? Can you help me get my powers back?"

"Kal-El, Earth is vulnerable to the darkness that threatens it."

The darkness… Clark had almost forgotten, being so overwhelmed with his own problems.  
"This darkness… how can I fight it?"

"Only one pure of heart can repel the darkness away, Kal-El."

"Pure of heart," Clark whispered to himself. The only person he knew that was truly pure was his son. But surely a baby couldn't fight something like the darkness… Clark believed it was his responsibility to get rid of it. He had, after all, let it into the earth through the portal with the Book of Rao, however unintentionally. He sighed, hating how he felt like his very presence sometimes caused more harm than good.

"And my powers? I will fight this darkness, Jor-El. But I can't do it without my abilities."

"Kal-El, step into the light, and I will restore your powers," the voice said above him.  
"Though it will take more than strength to fight the darkness, Kal-El."

The omega symbol that Clark had seen on Wilson still gave him nightmares. Whatever the darkness was, it was a great evil, and Clark wasn't sure how he could fight it. But he had to find a way to conquer it… part of him hoped that Lois and Joel would stay away until he figured out how to stop it. But he knew the thought of never seeing them again terrified him more. No, he needed them to return – and he had to be ready to protect them when they came back.

Clark stepped into the beam of light, pouring down from the ceiling. He felt an immediate purge in his body, like an intense radiation purifying him. Then, a warmer beam came down upon him, strong as the sun, restoring his powers once more.

~L&amp;C~

**2008**

Lois stood in the Kent kitchen, holding Joel. She glanced around, uncertain about when  
they were. She noted that Joel's highchair wasn't in its usual corner, so she knew they weren't home. Lois let out a frustrated sigh, staring angrily at the ring on her finger. Was it broken, or something?

She didn't have much time to think about it, as she heard the kitchen door open behind her. Lana stood there, with a bundle of wildflowers in her hand and a smile on her face.  
Lois resisted the urge to roll her eyes in disgust… why did the ring have to keep tossing her into a time where she was confronted with Clark's old flame?`

"Lois, what are you doing here? And with a baby, no less?" Lana laughed, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Um, I'm just… um, babysitting. Is Clark around?"

Lana smiled in a way that told Lois she had landed sometime when things were cozy between her and Clark. She resisted the urge to scream in irritated frustration, wishing she could wipe the smug grin off Lana's face. Lana had caused nothing but heartache for Clark, and had constantly sidetracked him. They weren't good for each other, though it took years for them to see it.

"Guess things are going well for you two," Lois commented dryly.

"Things have been-amazing between Clark and I. I don't know… it's like, he's finally opening up to me."

Just then, Clark appeared on the stairs, bounding down them, and immediately pulled Lana in for a kiss, barely acknowledging Lois. Lois cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable in the room.

"Hi, Lois," he said off-handedly, barely looking at her.

Lois studied Clark, finding it odd, even in his Lana-obsessed haze, that he was so blasé towards her. Looking back, she recalled that even during their most antagonistic times, he had always acknowledged her in some way. This didn't seem to be the Clark Kent she knew.

Joel started to get fussy, and Lois knew he needed to eat again, and probably needed a diaper change as well. Lana and Clark were all but about to start necking and Lois didn't want to stick around for the show. She suddenly felt very raw inside, and wished she could disappear in front of them.

"If you'll, uh, excuse me. I gotta take care of this little tyke," Lois said, turning to the fridge to see what she could dig up for Joel. Not seeing anything there, she noticed some bananas on the counter that were ripe enough that she could mush them up for a meal.  
As she reached for a knife, her eyes met Clark's. Lois stared at him for a moment, and she was surprised by how flat his eyes looked, almost lifeless. She felt a chill go up her spine, and she realized that she wasn't looking at her Clark. There was something else going on…

Lois glanced down at Joel, seeing him get more agitated as the seconds ticked by. He kept glancing at Clark uneasily, and Lois had the sudden urge to get out of there – the moony eyes Lana was making at Clark, notwithstanding.

Lana and Clark moved into the living room, apparently unable to keep their hands off each other. As Lois fed Joel, she kept glancing over at Clark, puzzled by what she had seen.

There was something definitely off about him… Could it be kryptonite? Clark had explained to her how various forms of meteor rock affected him, but nothing he had described explained the sort of almost zombie-like quality she had seen in his eyes. It was – like he was a different person.

As that thought took hold, Lois felt herself grow even more anxious. While part of her was relieved that it wasn't her Clark sucking face with Lana on the couch right now, she wondered where her Clark really was. Lois finished feeding Joel, wondering what she should do. She wasn't sure when they were, though she knew it had to be at least three years ago, when Clark and Lana were still an item. But that didn't tell her much about her own goings on in this time period… she didn't know what would happen if she ran into her present self or what repercussions it may have. So she thought it best to keep a low profile, and stay near the farm.

Lois thought about retrying the ring, but she was concerned about Clark. She wouldn't leave him if he was in trouble. Though, reason told her he had obviously gotten out of whatever trouble he was in, she still felt it necessary to at least sort out what was going on. All she knew was that the man in the living room wasn't her future fiancé, and Joel seemed to sense it as well.

Lois thought about calling Chloe, but again, she worried about paradoxes and getting involved in things in the past that she didn't really understand. No, she thought what she needed to do was try and get Clark alone. Maybe she could figure out the truth if she spoke to him one on one—which didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon, judging by the kiss-fest happening on the sofa.

Lois sighed, and hefted Joel on her hip. She grabbed Clark's keys and didn't even say a word before she headed down the steps to his truck. She'd have to find a way to secure Joel inside, but luckily there was a store only about a mile away, so she wouldn't have to travel far for diapers.

Lois strapped Joel in the middle back seat, which had an x-style seatbelt. If she was pulled over, she'd be in deep trouble, considering she didn't even have a license on her. But Joel needed diapers…

She realized she didn't have any cash on her either. But, she recalled that Clark usually had some stashed in his glove compartment, and she was not disappointed. She found a twenty dollar bill, and smiled at how reliable Clark was… well, is – in the future, her present. She wasn't so sure what was up with this Clark, but she was determined to find out.

~L&amp;C~

Lois returned not twenty minutes later, without incident. Thank God for small towns and therefore fewer police officers.

But she had diapers, and that was the important thing.

Lois grabbed the Pampers and Joel and headed up the steps to the Kent farmhouse. She really hoped Lana and Clark were done with their make out session and hadn't moved on to… other things that Lois really didn't want to think about.

Lois entered the kitchen, not seeing anyone around. "Hello?" she called, but didn't get an answer.

Lois grabbed a clean, large kitchen towel and some Wet Ones she found in the kitchen drawer to get Joel cleaned up. She laid the towel on the sofa and then sat Joel on top of it. He was smiling at her, and she couldn't help smile in return.

"At least I have you with me, kiddo," she whispered with a sigh. She kept him entertained with silly faces as she changed his diaper, all the while wondering how and when they would get home. The ring didn't seem reliable, but it couldn't just toss them endlessly around time, could it?

Lois heard some footsteps behind her, just as she finished changing Joel. She picked up his dirty diaper to throw it away in the kitchen, when she saw Clark. His presence made her jump, her uncertainties about what she had noticed about him earlier coming to the fore once more.

"I'll get out of your hair soon. Just, uh, well… " she glanced around, trying to think of an excuse for still being there.

Clark eyed her carefully, and seemed indifferent to her and Joel's presence. "Hang out as long as you like. Lana and I are leaving in a bit anyway," he said blandly, reaching into the fridge for a soda.

As he leaned over, a sliver of afternoon sunlight shot through the curtain, flashing for a second onto his face. Lois saw it change in the light, looking almost metallic. She schooled her features to hide her shock as he stood back up to face her. If she wasn't convinced before that something was wrong, she had no doubt now.

This wasn't Clark.

Lois was tempted to confront him, but she worried about Joel. Whoever this guy was, she didn't know if he had Clark's powers or what harm he could do to her and Joel. But, at the same time, she could slip the ring back on her finger and vanish into whenever…

Her heart pounding, Lois made her decision. She shifted Joel into her left arm, preparing to put the ring on, if need be. "So… um, you don't quite seem like yourself, Clark. Is everything okay?" she asked.

He paused in sipping his cola, giving her a half grin. "Why wouldn't everything be okay? I have everything I ever wanted… and Lana and I—we're going to finally leave Smallville."

Lois covered her shock, picking up Joel's giraffe on the counter and handing it to him. She couldn't believe that Lana hadn't figured out that something was wrong with Clark. He would never leave Smallville… besides that odd stare in his eyes, Lois could see that this guy wasn't behaving at all like the Clark Kent she knew and loved.

"Oh? And where will you go?" she asked, her mind racing as to what could have happened to the real Clark.

"Away from here… far away," he said.

Lois nodded, torn between fear and anger… had this—thing- done something to Clark?

What if her Clark was in trouble somewhere? What if he needed rescuing?

"So, um, you're just going to leave the farm? What does Mrs. K think?"

Clark eyed her suspiciously. "I haven't told her yet."

"Don't you think you should? I mean, who's going to take care of this place?" Lois pressed.

Not-Clark waved his hand flippantly in the air. "I don't know. I'll sell it."

Lois shook her head, shocked that Lana hadn't been able to see past this phony. "Like hell you will," she ground out under her breath.

"Excuse me?" the guy who wasn't Clark retorted.

"You heard me," she spoke clearly, her heart racing. "And I know Clark, and he would never abandon the farm… just who the hell are you?" she finally blurted.

The monster that looked like Clark glared at her, and she stepped back fearfully. There was a look of evil in his eyes that shook her to the core. But just then, Lana walked down the stairs.

"Lois, what are you still doing here?" she asked.

"Just, getting ready to leave, actually," Lois said, forcing a smile. She didn't dare meet the fake Clark's eyes as she grabbed Joel and fled out the door, her feet pounding down the steps.

But she couldn't take Clark's truck again, and besides, she had left his keys on the counter. She either had to put the ring on and hope it took her home, or find out what was going on with Clark. She sighed, uncertain what to do. She decided to head into the barn to try and think, feeling the whole time like that strange person who looked like her fiancé would pounce on her at any moment. She had no idea how Lana stood in the same room with him, let alone let him kiss her. Lois shook off an involuntary shiver as she headed up the stairs to the loft.

"Well, here we are again, Joel," she said, looking around. "I wonder if any of Clark's trinkets can help us now…" Lois noticed Clark's bookshelf had an odd space unfilled with books, and she suddenly recalled that was where Clark kept the key to the Fortress. She headed over to the shelf and found the disk, sitting in a pile of dust behind it. "Why couldn't I have found this before you grabbed that ring, huh? Maybe Jor-El can help us…"

Joel let out a fearful cry, just milliseconds before Lois felt a hand on her shoulder. The creature that wasn't Clark looked down at her disdainfully. "Just where do you think you're going with that?"

Suddenly, the room filled with a bright light, emanating from the disk in Lois' hand. Within moments, all three of them were transported into the Fortress.

~L&amp;C~

The Fortress seemed darker than Lois had remembered it, though no less cold. Joel didn't seem affected by the blustery wind, but Lois didn't have long to assess their surroundings, as she turned to face the creature that wasn't Clark.

Suddenly, Lois felt a light surround her and Joel. The creature tried to step towards them, but was held at bay by whatever Jor-El was using to shield them. "Guess you're on the wrong side," Lois taunted.

"Leave here at once, Phantom!" spoke Jor-El's voice from above them.

"A phantom?" Lois echoed, even more puzzled as to what had replaced her Clark.

The phantom turned his attention away from Lois momentarily. He glanced up at the ice walls around him, looking vaguely amused. "And what if I don't? You're just a voice, Jor-El - an echo from the past. What are you gonna do? Lecture me to death?"

Jor-El's voice shook the walls of the Fortress. "You are not welcome here!"

Whatever Jor-El was doing to the Fortress disturbed the phantom enough that he suddenly whooshed away. Lois could see the walls shaking around them, but the beam of light Jor-El held her and the Joel in felt warm and steady. Somehow Jor-El knew who they were, and Lois was grateful.

After a moment, the rumbling stopped and the beam of light faded away. Then, Jor-El spoke again. "The lost phantom has returned, Kal-El. You must defeat him."

Lois turned towards the sound of cracking ice, an involuntary gasp escaping her lips as she watched the real Clark emerge out of a wall of ice.

"Clark!" she breathed his name out in a sigh involuntarily. But he hadn't heard her. Before she could register whether he was all right, Clark whooshed out of the Fortress, presumably to chase after the phantom.

"Will he be okay?" Lois asked Jor-El.

"Lois Lane, you are out of place and time… as well as my grandson," Jor-El commented from above them.

Lois smiled. "You know who we are?"

"Yes, that is why I protected you from the phantom… "

Lois shivered in the cold wind, and pulled Joel closer to her, though he seemed unaffected. "We have to leave… will Cl—Kal-El be all right?"

"Kal-El has all he needs to defeat the phantom."

Lois sighed in relief and pulled the ring from her pocket. "Jor-El, if you have any influence over this thing, can you help us get home?" Lois waited for an answer, but received none. Then she shrugged and held Joel tighter to her. "Well, here goes nothing," and they disappeared into purple burst of light once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Present**

Clark had his powers back, but it only freed him to worry more about Lois and Joel.

He wished he had a way of contacting the Legion, so he could figure out what had happened to them. He feared Lois and Joel ending up in a time which was dangerous, though he comforted himself with the fact that the apocalyptical world he had made love to Lois in couldn't possibly still exist, not with Zod banished from Earth. The future was hopefully a lot brighter – that is, as long as Clark found a way to fight the darkness.

As soon as he left the Fortress, Clark blurred back to Watchtower to see if Chloe had found out anything more on what they were dealing with.

He landed beside her where she was working on the computer with a whoosh.

"Looks like someone got his mojo back," she commented, giving him a smile. "I bet that will make Lois feel better. She's been awfully worried about you."

"Well, now it's my turn to worry about her," Clark responded sullenly.

"Oh, no. I know that tone. What's wrong now?"

Clark sighed. "The Legion ring is gone, and Lois and Joel are missing. I went up to the loft and found all my Kryptonian things scattered—the only thing missing is the ring. It has to be what happened to them…"

"Man, Clark, you guys just can't catch a break, can you?"

"I just don't know why she'd use it… I mean, I just hope she didn't take the ring on purpose. That she wasn't trying to stop Wilson or—I don't know. It's been difficult these last few weeks," he said with a sigh, laden with blame. "I haven't felt like myself – and I just hope I didn't push her into doing something dangerous," Clark admitted, the guilt weighing on his shoulders like a lead cape.

"Clark, look. You can't do anything about it, right? I mean, it's not like the Legion left you with a tracking device or something. But I am sure, wherever Lois is, she's trying to come home." Chloe tried to reassure him, but he could hear her underlying concern. "And at the moment, maybe it's good that Lois and Joel have disappeared somewhere in time… we have to figure out what this darkness is and how to fight it."

Clark nodded. "Jor-El said only someone pure of heart and purpose can fight the darkness. I've been feeling so lost these last few weeks, and not knowing about Lois and Joel… I don't know if I am strong enough to fight it."

"Clark, you know you can't think that way. Now, come on. We've fought all kinds of creatures over the years. And I think this go-around, it's more important than ever that you focus on your training. Jor-El warned you about this. Surely he's given you the tools to help fight it."

"I know…self-doubt is my own worst enemy."

"Indeed, Clark. You can't afford it right now. You have your powers back. That was priority one. Now, what to do about this encroaching darkness and what these omega symbols mean. Obviously, if Wilson was any indication, it may have infected more people."

Clark stared out the window, thinking. He kept getting distracted, worrying about Lois and Joel. "Chloe, what if they don't come back?" he said abruptly, interrupting Chloe. It was his worst fear, and he was unable to face that possibility. "I can't just sit around and wait for Lois to return—someday."

Chloe sighed. "I'm afraid that's what you're gonna have to do, Clark. You are better now, and you have a job to do here. Fight the darkness. Make this a better world for Lois and Joel to come home to. That's all you can do."

"Chloe, those three weeks when Lois disappeared the first time? I focused on my Kryptonian self, but you saw how much I tried to push Clark Kent away," Clark wouldn't meet her eyes, knowing that he had abandoned Chloe during that time as well. But he needed to reach out to her, find a way to help her understand. "I couldn't feel anything… I hadn't realized what Lois meant to me, until she was gone. And now—Chloe, I love her. And Joel. I can't imagine my life without them… and I have no way of knowing how long they'll be gone."

"You're right, Clark," Chloe responded practically. "You don't know. They could be gone for a long time—or they could reappear any second. But what do you do? Pine away for Lois and let the darkness win? Clark, that's not you. And it's not who Lois would want you to be, is it?"

"I just—I'm going to have to face that farmhouse tonight—and probably for many nights without them."

Chloe nodded. "I know. It's hard, Clark. But you and Lois have gotten through so much together. And, if there is a way to control the ring, Lois will come home. Whatever mission she may have thought she needed to set out on. Surely you know that she loves you?"

"You're right, Chloe. I just –hope they are all right. I hate feeling powerless, not knowing." He sighed as he turned to her, resolved. "All right. Tell me everything you've got. Let's get to work."

~L&amp;C~

**2007**

When the flash of light faded, Lois and Joel were in a warehouse elevator.

"What the hell?" Lois breathed to herself, realizing after a few seconds that they were in Ollie's building. She started hitting buttons, but it was too late. The elevator was already heading upwards, inevitably right into Oliver's living room.

Without any indication as to when she had arrived, Lois tried to prepare herself for anything.

The door to Ollie's loft opened, and standing before her was the man himself, wearing nothing but jeans. Her eyes landed on his chiseled chest for a moment, as she tried to think of what to say. It had been years since those perfect pecs had any effect on her, but she suddenly found herself stammering as she tried to quickly assess when they might be.

"Lois? I guess you didn't get my message that we'll have to reschedule our dinner date?" he said lightly, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"D-date?" she stammered. Oliver's easy affection and casual way he dismissed their canceled plans suddenly brought bittersweet memories to the fore.

Oliver wandered over to his desk, still talking. "I never would have pegged you for the babysitting type, though. So tell me, what bet did you lose?" he said with a wickedly adorable grin.

Lois didn't immediately reply, and instead laughed a little nervously, which garnered Oliver's attention. "What? Is it that bad?" he teased. Then, suddenly sounding inspired, he went on, gesturing towards her. "And you look lovely, by the way. I love the new hair color. It suits you." She fingered her locks, knowing it had been a few years since she had changed the color, but she still couldn't summon any words. "And I promise, I'll make up for our date next week. But I really have to get going."

"Oliver," she finally said, starting to think on her feet. "Is it okay if we stay here a while? I'm, uh, watching this tyke for a bit—for a story, actually. But uh, don't have a car seat to drive us out to Smallville," she added lamely, hoping Oliver would buy her story.

"Yeah, sure," he said, throwing on a t-shirt and grabbing a jacket, barely looking her way. She could see the tell-tale signs that he needed to leave and had shut off really listening to her. While they had dated, she hadn't noticed it, wanting to believe that his attention had always been fully focused on her. And while she now knew about Green Arrow, she couldn't help but be a little hurt at his flippancy. "Make yourself at home," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss. This time, he was a bit more thorough about it. Lois played along, all the while feeling like she was cheating on Clark, yet stirred by old memories she had of being with Oliver. It was a strange déjà vu feeling that she wasn't entirely comfortable with.

He pulled away and stepped into the elevator. "I'll catch you later, Legs," he said affectionately, as the doors closed before him.

When Oliver was gone, Lois let out a long sigh. "Please, when you learn to talk, do not tell Daddy I let Oliver kiss me like that. I'd never hear the end of it," she said to Joel. She sat her son down on Oliver's super soft fur carpet and then plopped herself on his sofa. Tons of mixed emotions were pouring through her, and she needed to get her head together.

She had forgotten how willing she had been to believe Oliver's excuses, and to believe in the likelihood they could actually stay together. He was charming and flirty, but oh so distracted. At the time, Lois had written it off to him being a busy CEO, but hindsight told her it had been much more than that. And while Oliver may have genuinely cared about her, she never was going to be foremost in his life.

But that kiss. As guilty as it made Lois feel, she knew that at the time, that kiss had been what had made her stay and try to stick it out with him. There was a passion in Oliver she had responded to, and she felt uncomfortable that she still did to some extent.

But she also knew the difference between chemistry and true love.

Still, she couldn't quite shake the uneasy feeling that she had responded to Oliver's kiss. Was it cheating if you were pretending to be you with an old flame before a time you started dating your current fiancé? She wasn't sure, but she didn't think Clark would be very happy about it if he knew.

~L&amp;C~

A while after Oliver had left, Lois glanced around the loft. "Now what, Joel? Do we just hang out here for a while or should we put the ring on again? And will it ever send us home?" she mused, standing up to look around the room, maybe hoping for a bit of inspiration. Her eyes fell on the wall that hid Oliver's Green Arrow gear. She recalled the moment she had discovered it, thanks to a siren called the Black Canary.

It had been a shocking betrayal to her at the time, especially since she had considered the Green Arrow to be a dangerous vigilante. She couldn't imagine the man she thought she loved could be out playing Robin Hood and never told her.

And yet, she had fallen for Clark in a similar way.

She shook her head, thinking to herself. No, Clark had been different. She had had a rapport with the Blur, had understood him on a level that she never even came close to with Green Arrow. She had never even spoken to the Emerald Archer, either. The Blur had been all around different for Lois, and so was the man that she loved.

Still, there was a curiosity there that she had never had the chance to satisfy before. Lois knew Oliver well, but the Green Arrow was still somewhat of a mystery to her. She suddenly wanted to see up close and personal, exactly what was behind that wall…

Lois felt around the over-sized clock paneling, trying to find a way in. At last, she moved the second hand in a way that slid the doors right open. She gasped as she opened the doors, seeing Oliver's array of weaponry, set off against a back-lit green panel. Lois had seen the truth-revealing weapons originally from a distance, but being this close was even more impressive. She slowly walked around the small room, noticing a bureau with tray-like drawers to the right. Curious, and in full snoop mode, Lois made her way over to them and opened the top drawer. There she saw newspaper clippings of anonymous philanthropic donations, obviously done by Oliver. He hadn't wanted the credit, and had hidden all these good deeds from prying eyes. She felt a surge of affection for him, knowing how complicated his journey would be over the next several years. Oliver would lose his direction more than once, but to Lois, this proved that he was a good person underneath it all, no matter what.

Suddenly, she noticed that Joel was making a whimpering-like cry. She stepped out of the small room to check on him. His whimper grew stronger, and he covered his ears like a noise was bothering him.

"Joel? What is it, sweetie?" she said, making her way over to him to pick him up. He started crying even more loudly as Lois moved to close the doors to Oliver's secret room. As she slid the doors shut, she noticed the sound of a high-pitched hum, realizing that Joel's better than normal hearing may have picked up on it. And then she realized what that sound was – an alarm.

"Damn," she whispered. Before she could decide what to do, the door to the loft opened, and several security officers entered the room, pointing a gun at her.

She lifted her free hand. "Please. Put the guns away. You're scaring my son."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm Oliver's—girlfriend," she said, and heard how unconvincing she sounded, even to her own ears. "Look, I'm Lois Lane. I'm known here. I think I just accidentally set off an alarm."

"Mr. Queen has had break-ins before. I'm afraid you will have to come with us until Mr. Queen can clear your name," said an officer, making his way towards her.

"Really?" she scoffed. " I have a little baby with me… You're not taking us to prison. Just call Oliver, and he can tell you who I am."

"He's on his way, but in the meantime, we have orders to take you with us, due to protocol. We have a holding facility on the premises. As long as you cooperate, you and the little one will be perfectly comfortable, I assure you."

Lois sighed and debated her options. She could just put the ring on and disappear, but she worried about the repercussions it might have on her past self. Besides, she was a little curious what would happen if she confronted Oliver about Green Arrow.

Lois hid a smile as the guards took her and Joel into the elevator.

~L&amp;C~

It took almost two hours before Oliver showed up. Lois had been pacing the tiny, comfortable but locked waiting room, tempted to just put the ring on and go. But curiosity stopped her… She relived many moments in those few hours, thinking about her time dating Oliver. She knew her heart belonged to Clark, but she realized she had learned some things form Oliver, about herself and about what she needed in a relationship. She had some things to say to him that she didn't think would cause too many ripples in time – at least she hoped not. But she was very relieved when she finally saw Oliver come through the door.

He looked apologetic and maybe a little antsy as he came in the room. "I'm sorry, Lois. I set up this protocol 'cause I've had break-ins before." He gestured for her to walk out the room before him, a guard standing just outside. "Can we go upstairs? I want to talk to you."

"Sure, Ollie," she said, collecting Joel who was asleep in a small crib the guards had brought in. They had been really sweet and hooked them up with diapers and baby food. Joel barely moved as Lois picked him up and settled him on her shoulder.

As they made their way up to Oliver's loft, Lois realized how pensive Oliver was acting. She cleared her throat, searching for words of apology, though the idea felt a bit ridiculous to her. She understood that Oliver would feel violated for her knowing the truth about him, but it was water under the bridge in her book. Still, she had breached a trust, which was unfair to Oliver. "Look, I'm sorry for snooping around. A girl just gets curious, you know?" she said, trying to be flippant.

"Lois, it's not just the snooping… I mean, yeah, I'm upset cause I guess you know- " he paused, glancing at her uncertainly.

Lois nodded. "Yeah, Ollie, I do," she said softly. "And I also know what a kind, generous person you are. Why didn't you try to convince me that Green Arrow was more than just a vengeful Robin Hood? I would have listened."

"Well, I did – sorta. But you didn't really want to listen, did you?" he said, sounding hurt.  
They arrived at his loft, and Lois stepped inside in front of Oliver.

She recalled how aggressively she had gone after Green Arrow, and how much she had wanted to take him down. Maybe Oliver was right. Maybe she wouldn't have listened.

"I'm sorry, Oliver. And I understand you wanted to protect me – but I guess I wish you had trusted me a bit more," she said, hearing her own arguments with Clark echoed in that sentiment. The hurt went deeper than she had realized, seeing how often the men in her life had failed to tell her the truth.

She let out a puff of air, trying to steady herself. Man, she thought she had been past all this. But the insecurity came rushing back.

Oliver stood at his desk, shuffling papers, perhaps in an effort to avoid contact with her. "So, uh, how much damage control do I need to do, huh? Should I be looking for my face plastered across the Planet tomorrow?"

"Ollie," she said in a gentle reprimand. "You really don't think I'd—" but she stopped herself before she could finish, recalling just how gung-ho she had been about wanting to unmask Green Arrow. "Oliver, I won't say anything. I promise."

He nodded, seeming to accept that. Then he went over to his liquor cart and poured himself some bourbon. "Sorry, I just—I'm trying to wrap my head around something," he said.

"Talk to me, then," she offered, though she was concerned about the bitterness in his tone.

"Why did you lie to me? Sure, I didn't tell you about Green Arrow – but that was to protect you. But why – why didn't you tell me you had a son?" he finished speaking, his voice full of hurt. "How could you have hidden him from me? And—whose is he, anyway?"

Lois puzzled over how Oliver had figured it out, and she debated what to say to him. But he looked so dejected, so defeated, that she knew she had to find a way to explain the truth to him. As she thought what to say, the silence stretched between them, and eventually Oliver sat down across from her, staring at his glass.

"I can tell by your silence that you aren't denying it," he said eventually. "I only figured it out because the guards mentioned it to me… that you were worried about your son. Lois – how could you have not told me about him? I don't even care if he's not mine—I mean, is he? I just—why did you keep that from me?"

"Oliver, I—" she paused, thinking about lying to him, of trying to fabricate something. But she realized that wouldn't do her present self any good, and it would only hurt Oliver more.

Lois knew that Oliver wasn't really keen on understanding all the strangeness that encompassed her life with Clark Kent, but she thought the best way to put him out of his misery, was to tell him the truth.

"Oliver, look at me," she began gently. "I've got to explain something to you, and I'm not sure how."

Oliver sipped his bourbon and then set his glass on a side table. "I'm all ears, Lois. 'Cause I certainly don't know how to explain why you'd hide something like this… I mean, I know I'm not the best boyfriend. I'm not always here, and I often cancel—"

"Oliver, stop," she interrupted, then took a big sigh. "Please, let me try to explain."

He nodded, and Lois sat back in her seat, settling a sleeping Joel on her chest. "Oliver, I am not the same Lois that you know. I mean, I am her, but—I time traveled. From the future." Lois mused that this was so much easier with Clark, who took strange occurrences in life in his stride every day. But for Oliver, it was plain ridiculous, and the words had felt absurd on her tongue saying them to him.

Oliver slid his glance over to her, and then burst out laughing. "Is that the best you can come up with?"

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but— you know Clark Kent, right?" she asked, since she was uncertain exactly when they had met.

"Yeah, why?" Oliver asked, sounding suspicious.

"Joel-well, he's Clark's son," she said, hoping first of all that Oliver would believe her, and second that she wouldn't hurt him with this information.

"What? How? I mean-"

Lois scooted closer to him. "Oliver, this is going to be hard for you to hear. And even saying it now—all those emotions are coming rushing back… but, you and I—we'll be great friends. But we were never meant to be… Surely on some level, you might already know that?"

"I just—I'm trying to wrap my head around this. You are saying you are from the future, and that you and Clark—have a baby together?"

Lois nodded, giving him a sympathetic smile. "I know it's hard to imagine, but yeah. I just couldn't bear you thinking that I had – lied to you, or cheated on you."

"So instead you tell me you time traveled? I still don't get this, Lois. I mean, how?"

Lois took the Legion ring out of her pocket. "With this. It's one of Clark's trinkets… oh, and I know all about him and what he can do too, by the way."

Oliver just stared at her blankly for a moment. "You do? What things?"

Lois gestured over her shoulder to Oliver's secret compartment. "You know, why you probably added that silent alarm. Because Clark broke in here once, and is part of your Super-Secret Superhero Club," she said with a smile, starting to enjoy having the upper hand in revealing super secrets, for once.

"Are you kidding me? How do you know all this?"

She shrugged. "Oliver, I'm telling you the truth. I'm from the future," she said with a grin. "I know it sounds over the top crazy, but I am telling you the truth… And I've just been trying to get home," she added, sadness laden in her voice. "But this stupid ring—it must be broken, or something."

"Why do you think that?" Oliver queried, though he still seemed skeptical.

"Well, it keeps taking me a year further back into the past… and I don't know why… I don't know how to make it take us home. Clark told me to focus on when I want to go…but traveling backwards in time…. I guess I keep thinking of the past," she said with sudden realization. "Maybe I've been using it wrong."

Oliver watched her carefully, seeming to make up his mind about what she had been telling him. "Lois, maybe you need to focus on your future… I see there's a ring on your finger. So I guess that means you and Clark are—getting married?" he asked, halfway between sounding shocked and dismayed.

She nodded. "Yeah, we are. But Oliver, I have to tell you—" she began, seeing how hurt he looked at the prospect. "Being with you—it was difficult and frustrating, but it was also what I needed at the time. You taught me things about myself, and boosted my confidence."

He scoffed, offering her a small smile. "Your confidence never needed boosting."

Lois smirked. "Well, maybe not in some ways. I mean, I always knew I kicked all kinds of ass, but—you were—are—someone special to me. Your friendship means the world to me."

Oliver absorbed that a moment. "So we are still—friends?"

She reached over to take his hand. "Best friends. Always will be, too."

"Wow… I don't know what to say."

Lois chortled. "Honestly, I don't know either. And I'm worried what effect me telling you all this will have on our lives… Just know, that you and I are going to be okay. Better than okay."

Oliver nodded, thinking. "So… Clark's waiting for you somewhere in the future?"

"Yeah… he and I—well, we've gone through a lot lately. And I'm worried about him. I know he can do so much, but he tends to take the burden of the world on his shoulders. And all I want to do-"

"—is be there for him?" Oliver finished.

"Yeah. But I just can't figure out how to get us home."

"Well, maybe you said it. Clark is your future. Focus on that. See him as the man you love—and maybe that will take you back to him."

Lois felt a lot of affection for Oliver, and she was sad to leave him with the knowledge that things wouldn't work out between them.

"Oliver, again because I fear time paradoxes, I can't tell you too much. But, you should know, there is someone special in your future. She'll surprise you, but she's your match. You're gonna be okay, Ollie," she said softly.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Thanks. I guess that makes me feel a little better. So—" he stood up, seeming to be resolved. "Maybe it's time you go… Your future is waiting for you, right?"

Lois smiled. "Yeah, he is. Okay. Well, promise to be gentle to present me next time you see her?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe any of this is true."

Lois held Joel close to her and slipped on the ring. "Believe it. Goodbye, Ollie…" she said, disappearing into time once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**2017**

When the flash vanished around them, Lois and Joel were standing in the elevator at the Daily Planet. Lois felt a bubble of hope rise up inside of her, wondering if they'd finally made it home. She held Joel tightly to her, anxiously contemplating what they would do if they had once more been bounced around time.

In the few seconds before they had reappeared, she had focused all her energy on Clark, forgetting for a moment that when she had left him, he was still recovering from his exposure to the kryptonite and was without his powers. Instead, she had focused on the man she had fallen in love with, the man whose integrity she admired and whose persona as the Blur she thought could save the world…

The elevator dinged open at the bullpen, and Lois took a deep breath before walking out, wondering what awaited her. Her eyes impatiently scanned the room, looking for any sign that would tell her when they were.

The Planet was as bustling as ever, but Lois slowly realized that she didn't recognize many of the faces, though some people did recognize her as she was greeted by several friendly colleagues. Lois made a beeline over to her desk – or where it was supposed to be. She was dismayed to see Cat Grant's nameplate, and on Clark's desk, there was another one that she didn't recognize.

Lois tampered down the sudden urge to panic, accepting that they had once more jumped to a time other than their present. Either that, or she and Clark had been away from the Planet for far too long… But nothing convinced her of exactly when they were… and no one seemed to blink an eye that she had a baby with her, which she found odd, but that didn't leave her with many clues.

Lois scanned her old desk, looking for a newspaper or a calendar so she could check the date, when she was abruptly shoved aside.

"It's great that you feel like you have time to babysit, but some of us have work to do!" The whiney voice of Cat reached Lois' ears, and as she turned to face her, Lois suppressed an annoyed sigh. "I don't know why Chloe can't get her own babysitter, but some of us actually have to work. Why don't you go play in your corner office so the rest of us can get down to business, huh?"

Lois tried to process the implications in Cat's diatribe, as she slowly turned around, seeking out her supposed corner office. She hid a smirk, secretly enjoying Cat's bitterness that Lois had somehow usurped her position by scoring a corner office. But jealous tirades aside, it seemed they were definitely in the future.

And at least she had an excuse for Joel. Lois smiled at the thought that Chloe had a little one, and she wondered if she was still with Oliver. Lois hoped so. Seeing the old Oliver had been difficult, and had resurfaced complicated feelings Lois had long thought buried.  
But if a future with Chloe was where he was headed, Lois couldn't be happier.

At last Lois spotted a glass wall, up a short flight of stairs, which she thought might be the office Cat had referred to. She made her way up the stairs, while Joel craned his neck to take in the activity all around them. It seemed that the Planet was abuzz with more activity in this future, and Lois wondered why… It wasn't a panic-to-cover-a-disaster kind of feeling, but just that everyone seemed on their A-game. Lois felt her journalistic instincts awaken at the possible stories that may have been covered between her present and this, as yet unknown, future…

Lois reached the office, noting that her and Clark's names were engraved above the door. She smirked happily, pleased to see her name took top billing. Lois closed the door, impressed with the soundproofing of the glass walls; it was much quieter in here, and it gave her a chance to think.

"Well, we're not home yet, kiddo. But I feel we're getting closer," Lois commented. She scanned the office, looking for clues as to when they were. Joel let out a happy laugh, and Lois wondered what had grabbed his attention. She turned around, taking in the impressive view the large glass windows afforded over Metropolis.

The sun was starting to set, and the goldenrod and magenta colors drew her closer to the window. She suddenly saw a streak of something move fast across the sky, making Joel giggle again. "What the-?" Lois said, puzzled. She couldn't make out what it was, and the setting sun was starting to reflect off another building, making staring out the window difficult.

"Did you see that?" Lois asked Joel. "I wonder what it was… too small to be a plane, and way too fast to be a bird…"

Lois noticed a television in the office. She turned it on, hoping to get clued in as to where in time they might be…

"…President Luthor spoke with the Prime Minister of England yesterday..."

Lois froze on the news channel, her eyes fixed in fascinated horror on the man who she had believed was dead. And he had become the President of the United States.

She watched as Lex Luthor smiled blandly for cameras, shaking hands with England's Prime Minister, wearing a solid white suit. The TV anchor covered the nonevent dutifully, noting topics discussed such as climate change and some meeting at the UN. Lois stared at the screen, transfixed, as she tried to work out how Lex was alive in the first place, and how, by all that is good and just in the world, that villain had become President.

"Lois, I thought you were in Washington," she heard over her shoulder.

Lois turned abruptly to face Clark, still trying to wrap her mind around what she had just seen on the television. Clark brought with him his own sort of surprise, wearing his hair plastered to his scalp with too much product and thick, geeky glasses perched on his nose. "I—where the hell am I?" she breathed out at last, shaking her head in utter puzzlement.

~L&amp;C~

Clark stared at Lois a long moment, wondering why she looked so out of it. She was apparently babysitting for Chloe again, determined to make up for how much Chloe had helped with Joel. Clark smiled, thinking of his son. His little eight-year old was a handful, but Clark loved every minute of being a dad…

He came around the chair to say hi to his nephew, but he did a double take, realizing that he was staring down at his own son.

"Clark?" He heard his name, but suddenly memories came rushing back to him.

_Lois and Joel, lost in time._

_The Legion ring, vanished from his box of Kryptonian relics._

_Not knowing where they were or when they'd return…  
_  
"Lois—" he said, staring at her as he put the puzzle together. Suddenly, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that at least one of their adventures had taken them to him.

He sat down next to Lois, taking off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering what to say to her.

"Are you all right?" she asked, and he was tempted to laugh, knowing this little adventure was likely to be more shocking to Lois than to him.

He nodded. "I'm fine… Just not sure about you…" he said, his eyes glancing at her clenched fist. Looking just a little deeper, he saw the Legion ring there.

"Me?"

Unsure of how to explain, Clark gestured around them. "Welcome to the future, Lois."

She let out a breath. "So you know?"

"Well, I hope you'd give me enough credit to recognize my own son."

"Everyone else seemed to think he's Chloe's. But yeah, I might just have to smack you upside the head if you didn't recognize this little guy." She stared at Clark for a long moment, seeming to try to reconcile the man before her with the one she had left in the past.

"What is it?" he asked. "I know I look different."

She nodded. "Definitely geekier. What's the deal, Smallville? And when did you start wearing glasses?"

He wasn't sure where to begin. Who he was as the Blur was a long way away from Superman, and explaining that journey certainly couldn't be done here, where they were practically in a fishbowl.

He sighed. "It's a long, crazy story…" he began.

"Well, I apparently have nothing but time," Lois responded, sounding slightly resentful.

She opened her palm to show him the ring. "Any idea how this thing works?"

"How many different times have you been bouncing around in?"

"Enough… but tell me – we do eventually make it home, right? And not like months or years later, I hope," Lois asked, her voice full of despondency.

"You make it home, Lois," he answered her softly. "A few weeks pass, but we both get through."

She turned to him, hearing the sadness in his voice. "Were you really worried?" she asked.

He nodded. "I just didn't know how long you'd be gone… and I worried… I guess I haven't been able to tell you yet," he said in sudden realization. "I feared you had tried to go back in time to stop General Wilson… and I just worried what trouble you'd get into."

Lois pulled Joel closer onto her lap. "It was this little guy's fault, actually. I was merely looking for the Key to the Fortress, to talk to Jor-El."

"Jor-El? Why?" he asked curiously, seeming to know the answer, but wanting to hear it from her now, in this time.

Lois' eyes seemed to drink him in, and she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Because you—I was – am—so worried about you, Clark. After Wilson, and you didn't get your powers back… I thought you were drifting away from me—and from who you are. I know you are much more than the sum of your powers, but—I don't know. Wilson stole something from you, and I wanted to get it back," she said sadly.

"Lois," he said her name, pouring in his feelings for her with those two small syllables. "I did get my powers back… and you were right to think of Jor-El. I just wish – you had come to me first."

"Sorry," she said, glancing at him guiltily. "So, I guess the question is, how do we get back?"

Suddenly a young man burst into the office. "There's a fire down at City Hall. Perry wants you on it!"

Lois stared at the kid, seeing almost the splitting image of Jimmy Olsen before her.

"Who-?" she asked, barely able to form a sentence as the kid ran back out the door.

"It's Jimmy's younger brother," Clark answered briskly. He stood up, tugging at his tie.

"Look, Perry thinks Lois is still in Washington. Just hang out here until I get back, okay?"

He didn't see her answer, as he suddenly whooshed away.

~L&amp;C~

Lois' journalistic curiosity made her feel antsy, waiting around for the story rather than going out there and getting it herself.

Still, she was curious whether the Blur was still in action in Metropolis. She turned back to the television, searching for a local news station. She saw a newscaster, standing in front of City Hall, swirls of smoke coming out from the side of the building.

Suddenly, a larger than life figure appeared in red and blue, arms crossed over his chest, his cape swirling about him. In clipped and hurried tones, he filled the newswoman in on the situation, his head tilted towards her, leaving the camera to capture him in profile.

After a moment, he excused himself, facing the camera for just an instant.

Lois stared at the screen, taking in the showy costume, the stylized 'S' on his chest…

Her mouthed gaped open in a round 'o', shocked at what she had just seen.

It was Clark! And she was going to kill him…

~L&amp;C~

Lois was livid.

How could Clark do this? After all they had gone through with Wilson, and Luthor – who was now President, for crying out loud! How could he put himself out there like that?

She turned to her son, who was playing happily on the rug, and she wondered how he was faring in this new life of Clark's. Surely people recognized him, despite his showy costume. How could they not?

Lois turned towards the glass door leading to the bullpen, and saw Clark making his way towards their office. He was taller than most, sure, but he bumbled and tripped his way across the room. His boxy suit hid his perfect pecs and the glasses and the hair… suddenly, it all made sense.

By the time Clark reached the office, she was laughing. She was still angry, but she was laughing hysterically.

"What? What is it?" Clark asked with dread.

"You! You in your costume like some comic book hero – something you swore up and down the other that you would never do! And this!" she said, gesturing to his current getup. "The nerdy routine is a nice touch, Clark, I must say!"

Clark closed the door behind him and gestured her to calm down. "Lois, please! Just hear me out."

She was still laughing uncontrollably, tears coming to her eyes. "I can't believe everything you've gone through to protect your secret, and you've come to this! How is that working out for you, Clark? I mean, Lex Luthor is the President of the United States for crying out loud! And he knows your secret!"

"Knew," Clark said quietly. "He _knew _my secret."

She settled down a little, still looking at him in somewhat shock. "Do tell, Clark. Because the guy I knew would never flash around his abilities like some Hollywood celebrity."

"It's not like that," he winced. "Look, it took me a long time to get here… "

She nodded. "I can see that… I'm just so—surprised that you would put yourself out there like this… I mean, how did you get from being the Blur, hiding from everyone in the shadows – including me, I might add. To this?"

"I downplayed Clark Kent," he began, somewhat sheepishly. "I started acting a part, so I could do more."

She absorbed that a moment. "So you were able to tone down the hometown hero, so you could become—" she gestured towards the television screen, where Clark's superpersona was shown on replay, putting out the fire and rescuing people trapped inside.

Clark nodded.

"And Luthor? What did you mean by he _knew _about your secret?" she asked. "Seems to me he is a bigger threat than ever."

Clark sighed. "You don't know the half of it. He doesn't even remember Clark Kent… I'm not even sure he is the real Lex… Lois, there is so much you don't know, and I don't know how much I can tell you," he warned.

"Yeah, I know… But still… Is there anything I can do in the past? I mean, how are you handling Lex these days?"

"Leave it alone, Lois… He sort of just-reappeared one day. But I don't know if I could have done much about it," Clark said sadly. "I guess, if you remember, then tell me… But Lex might just be a problem I'll always have to deal with, in one form or another."

Lois nodded, accepting what he was telling her. "I guess the question is then, are you happy in this new persona?" she asked, eyeing him carefully, taking in his full geekiness.  
"I mean, the Clark Kent I know is pretty amazing… aren't you stifled acting a part every day?"

Clark shook his head, a slow smile of wonder on his face. "No. Being out in the world, helping where I can openly – Lois, it's an amazing feeling. And I don't mind sacrificing some of Clark Kent's appeal, as long as I have you by my side. You make it all worth it, Lois."

She felt pleased at his admission, though she still wasn't entirely satisfied. "And how does our family fit into this world of yours? I mean, is Joel going to be okay?"

"We do great, Lois," he answered softly, reaching for her hand.

She stared at him a long moment, thinking. "I just can't believe this future. I mean, it's amazing, to be sure. But, I just want to get back to our present, and make the journey with you, you know? Cause I don't fit in here… not yet, anyway," she said, glancing around the office. "And I just don't get all of this," she said, gesturing towards Clark.

"You will, Lois. I promise."

Lois fished the gold ring out of her pocket once more. "I'm tired of putting this thing on and being whisked away to somewhere other than home… How do I make it work?"

Clark suddenly looked inspired. "Come with me. You don't need to try this ring again."

~L&amp;C~

Clark took Lois and Joel to the roof of the Daily Planet.

The sun had set by now, leaving a purple ripple of clouds above them, and the moon at half wax, hanging like a jewel in the sky.

"It's been a while since I've been up here," Lois commented. "I've missed the view."

Clark smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet, Lois. Will you fly with me?"

Clark suddenly spun around and appeared before her in the fantastical suit she had seen on television. She took in the fitted spandex, the broad width of his shoulders, and his face, without those hideous glasses.

"Wow," she breathed. "The Blur was pretty awesome, but you look so much better in Technicolor."

She stared up at him, appreciating how well she knew the man behind the glasses. Clark was a mix of the two extremes he had created in this future world – he was an average guy with a huge heart and amazing abilities. The bumbling nerd she had witnessed in the Planet and even this spandex covered god was an act. She didn't understand all the rules he was playing by yet, but if he was happy, then she'd learn to play along.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Lois secured Joel in her arms, and Clark easily lifted them into his embrace. Then suddenly, he seemed to let go of gravity, and they were floating on the wind.

"When did you learn to do this?" she wondered aloud, in awe of this ability.

"Some secrets I'll let you discover on your own, Lois. But don't worry, we'll get here together."

They glided across the Metropolis sky, enjoying the glittering city that was settling into the darkening night around them. After a few minutes, Clark looked down at her. "Now, are you ready for a real ride?"

"When do I ever say no to an offer like that?" Lois responded with a grin.

Suddenly, they took off in a red and blue blur across the sky.

~L&amp;C~

Clark landed them in the barn on the Kent farm, secretly enjoying Lois' startled look. Joel was full of smiles, his Kryptonian genes apparently getting a kick out of dad showing off his super speed.

"Wow, that is way more intense flying than it is on the ground," Lois commented. "Can't wait to go again!"

"Well, you won't have to wait too much longer, but it will take a few years," Clark said. "I hope you can be patient with me in the meantime."

"Clark, I put up with all kinds of weirdness from you when I didn't know who you really were. And now, that I know you are the love of my life and that this is what you'll become?" she said, giving him a smirk. "Not a chance I'll miss this."

Clark seemed satisfied with that answer, and headed to his desk where he kept various Kryptonian relics.

"So why did we come to this dusty place anyway?" Lois asked.

Clark pulled out an identical ring to the one Lois had. "The Legion gave me a second ring a while back. This one will take you home, Lois."

She eyed the ring cautiously. "Are you sure? I really can't take much more of this time jumping business… and I doubt Joel can either."

"It will be fine, Lois. Trust me."

Lois smiled at him, still shaking her head at his incredible superhero persona. "No problem there, Smallville. You practically scream 'I'm here to help,' in that getup."

He gave her a smile in return. "Are you ready to go?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks for everything, Clark."

He turned to her to cup her cheek. "You are what make my life worth living, Lois. You and Joel. I don't know what I'd be without you two."

She touched his hand on her cheek. "Which is exactly why I've got to get back to my Clark."

He leaned down and kissed her. Seeing her slightly surprised expression he added, "Trust me. Old me doesn't mind."

Lois bit her lip, thinking. "In that case," she said, leaning up and pulled him down towards her to give him a kiss in return. "Besides, I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait before I can kiss you in this outfit again."

Clark gave her another smile, then leaned down to kiss his son. "They grow up fast, Lois. Remember that."

"I will. Okay, I'm ready," she said with a sigh, taking the ring from him.

Just as she slipped it on, Clark remembered something. He saw them begin to disappear into the light, but called after them, "Lois! Don't let him touch the gold ring!"

They disappeared, though Clark wasn't sure if Lois heard his warning.


	6. Chapter 6

Even from his jail cell, Slade managed to get the officers in his command to bring him all the notes they had on Clark Kent. It had been easy enough; they already knew how to follow orders. It was a matter of finding those who were weak enough, who were willing to bend the rules.

Among the papers collected from the Fort Abrams facility were notes on various meteor rocks and their uses. The notes had been expanded on from Luthor's research, and included all the known types of meteor rock. As he scanned the list, he noted one that had some intriguing possibilities:

_Gold meteor rock might be the rarest to find its way to Earth. It is likely the only substance that can take away a Kryptonian's power forever._

Slade sat back against the cool, cement wall. The moment he had learned that Clark Kent wasn't just a meteor freak, but an alien, it had become his mission to eradicate him. But being in prison made that difficult… unless, he could find a way to permanently make him powerless.

The notes went on to suggest areas around the world where there were likely depositories of the gold meteor rock. Slade simply needed to send his minions there to locate one… and then use it on Clark Kent.

~L&amp;C~

With the VRA no longer a threat and Clark once more with his powers, the Blur made a return to Metropolis. The people of the city were grateful, and were no longer swayed by those who wanted to unmask the heroes. The Blur had a purpose in Metropolis, and was welcomed with open arms.

With every save though, Clark missed Lois more and more. He missed having her coverage of his activities in the Planet, and what's more, hated coming home to an empty house each night. While the Blur became more popular around the city, Clark became ever more lonely and concerned. He wished there was a way to locate the ring in time, or someway to connect to the Legion of the future to locate Lois and Joel…

But the days clicked by, super save after super save, and they still hadn't returned.

As Clark had done when Lois had last disappeared, he threw himself into being the Blur. He visited the Fortress more, allowing Jor-El to help him finish his training. But when he returned to the empty farmhouse in the evenings, he felt like half a person.

Lois was his better half, and without her there, he feared he was losing touch with Clark Kent. He realized she was his humanity, and without her, while he could concentrate more on being the hero that the world needed, his own soul felt bereft.

The world needed the Blur, but Clark needed Lois more.

~L&amp;C~

Clark had told Oliver about the darkness. Clark's explanation of it reminded Oliver of Sunday school lectures, from when he was a kid, fighting an evil that preys on your weakness.

Lord knows that Oliver had weaknesses to spare… but he was determined not to fail Clark on this one. Oliver had stumbled more times than he cared to count, but if he could find a way, he would try to beat the darkness himself.

Years ago, when Oliver had started dreaming up his Green Arrow persona, he had read a legend about the Bow of Orion, which had defeated a darkness called Darkseid. The more he mulled it over, the more it seemed to Oliver that this darkness was the same that Clark had mentioned fighting. Oliver decided he needed to do some research, to find out if the legend was true. He spent the next weeks going through Carter Hall's notes and the Veritas Journals, piecing together the history of what had happened to the legendary bow.

Now, with Lois missing, Oliver feared that Clark wouldn't be strong enough to fight the darkness on his own. It was up to Oliver to try and locate the Bow of Orion, and to banish the darkness from the earth once more.

~L&amp;C~  
_  
Celtic Coast_

Oliver's plane circled the tiny island off the coast of Ireland, looking for a relatively flat place to land amid the rocky surface of the island. It couldn't have been more than five miles wide, with a large mountain covering most of the surface area. There was no civilization here, no tourists. In fact, most maps left the location off entirely, or mislabeled its coordinates. It had taken Oliver an extra hour and a half to locate it himself.

Eventually the plane landed, with just his pilot and assistant on board. Using his communicator to Watchtower, he sent his location to home base, so his pilot could relocate him after refueling. Oliver gave a final wave as his crew took off from the rocky coast. "Just don't forget to come back for me, all right? Already spent too long on an island once…" he said aloud, though his crew couldn't hear him in the cabin.

When the jet had finally whirred away out of sight, Oliver took out the map he had found in the Veritas Journals. The outline of the island was pretty accurate, but the place marking the spot of the bow didn't seem very clear. There was just a large star, set off slightly to the right of the middle of the mountain.

Oliver sighed, looking around him at the huge expanse of mountain before him. It was going to be a hell of a long day.

~L&amp;C~

Once inside the mountain, the temperature dropped considerably. Oliver pulled his leather vest out of his gear bag, as well as a miner's light to wear. He thought it had looked ridiculous when he had tried it on at Watchtower, but in hindsight he was glad that Chloe had insisted he take it along.

Again he consulted the map, knowing that it had been written hundreds of years before. There was only a vague marking of a bridge within the cave somewhere, but it was hardly anything to go on. He still had a little radio access and tried to reach out to Watchtower.

"I'm heading in deep. Not sure for how much longer I'll be able to 'reach out and touch someone.'"

"Old AT and T jokes aside, you're still on my radar," Chloe reassured him. "I have a copy of the map, but I see what you mean by not a lot to go on. Still, the mountain is only about three miles long… surely you can't get too lost in there?"

Oliver looked around him at the caves, seeing various passageways that led somewhere into the heart of the mountain. "I wouldn't be so sure. But my crew will be back in two hours. You have them connected?"

"Yes, I just talked with your pilot. If you're not out in two hours… we'll get you out, Ollie."

"All right. I'm gonna switch off to save battery power, okay?"

"Okay. Good luck."

He grinned. "Love you, too, blondie," he teased, noting her overly formal tone.

"Blondie? Who's calling who a blondie?" she retorted with a snort.

"All right, I'll see you when I get back…"

"Damn straight. We have reservations tomorrow night at the Golden Apple. I have a new dress all picked out and everything. Be a shame to waste it," she teased.

"Don't worry. Your new purchase won't go to waste. Okay, over and out."

Oliver chuckled to himself as he turned off his communicator. Chloe was a handful, but she was quickly becoming his whole world. He wasn't sure she realized yet how important she was to him, but he wasn't going to wait much longer to let her know. He had seen what had happened to Lois and Clark…

He shook his head, still trying to understand what had happened to Lois. He was always blown away by how blasé Clark took things like phantoms and time travel… He just hoped Lois and Joel would be all right. Regardless, Oliver had to do his part to try and save the world…

~L&amp;C~

Oliver used instinct rather than logic to navigate, because there was no logic to be had in these caves. After about a half hour of wandering, he spotted something, like an engraving on a wall. He came closer to inspect it, and ran his fingers over it. It was filigreed in gold, and was the symbol of a bow and arrow.

He felt relief. He was on the right track!

Now that Oliver knew there were guiding symbols, he started looking for them before choosing his next path. After wandering for over an hour, Oliver at last came to a suspension bridge. The water seemed to give the cave light, and as Oliver peered down, he could see bioluminescent light running through the waters below. The bridge covered a wide span, but across the way, Oliver could see it – the Bow of Orion, suspended in a sheath of light.

Oliver stepped cautiously on the bridge, noting that it was made of a silvery thread he had never seen before, which almost glowed on its own. The boards to walk across were made of a similar material, but the whole construction seemed flimsy. Oliver put a tentative foot on the bridge, hearing the water rushing below him. The narrow bridge moved slightly under his weight, but it seemed it would hold him. Tentatively, Oliver started inching his way across the bridge. The wires were too thin to hold onto. As Oliver crossed, he felt his weight straining the fine ropes and wires that had suspended the bridge, likely for centuries.

Oliver pulled out a bow attached to climbing rope, uncertain whether the bridge would hold to make it across. He shot it across to the stone wall, mere feet from where the Bow of Orion hung.

He had exerted too much movement on the bridge, though, and just as his arrow was secured in a rock, Oliver felt the frail wires start to unravel. Knowing the bridge was about to collapse under him anyway, Oliver started running, and then jumped, just as the bridge fell, washed away by the rushing water below.

"Well, I hope there's another way out of this place," mumbled Oliver, pulling himself up his rope, dangling a good twenty feet from where he wanted to be.

But Oliver managed the distance in a matter of moments, using his martial arts skills, to make himself lighter and propel himself upwards.

At last, Oliver reached the rock, the Bow of Orion within his reach. He could read an inscription, _'The only true power comes from within._' To Oliver, the saying meant staying true to oneself. He knew that the times he had really messed up, gone way off track, were the times when he hadn't been true to his calling.

A sense of calm came over Oliver as he reached for the Bow. It seemed to hum in his grasp, sending energy up his arm. Three arrows were in a small quiver beside the bow, each with a special engraving: Truth, Love and Power. Oliver carefully picked them up, and slid them into his small quiver that he had carried with him into the caves.

He turned to look about him, now wondering how he would get out of there, when he saw a shadow across the pass he had just come.

"Lord Darkseid will rule!" shouted the old crone. She seemed to be summoning some dark magic about her, but Oliver didn't wait to see what, and simply pulled an arrow from his quiver, not even noticing if it was one made for the Bow or not.

The silver arrow flew across the pass, flashing a white light that evaporated the evil that had appeared out of nowhere, including the old crone. Fully spooked, Oliver looked over his shoulder, pulling an ordinary bow from his quiver this time, in case any other surprises awaited him.

There were none. He was alone. And he was trapped.

~L&amp;C~

The now familiar purple light flashed around Lois and Joel. Lois looked around, noticing that they were in the loft in the barn. The loft looked neater than when they had left, making her uncertain whether or not they had made it home.

Lois let out a long breath. "Well, what do you think, Joel? Did we do it this time?"

Joel glanced about his surroundings, looking just about as uncertain as Lois felt. "Tell me about it, little guy. This time travelling is starting to get exhausting."

Lois pocketed the golden ring, just in case they would need it again, and slowly headed down the steps of the loft. "Everything looks as it always does… no tells here," she said, noting the tractor and other various farming equipment.

She stepped outside the barn, observing that the sky looked ripe with rain. It was late afternoon, and would be dark soon. Lois saw that Clark's truck wasn't in the driveway, but ran ahead to the farmhouse, just as thunder rumbled and the heavens opened up with rain.

Joel was crying by the time she made it to the porch. "Sorry, Joel. It couldn't be helped," she said sympathetically.

Tentatively, Lois knocked on the screen door. "Just please don't let Lana pop out again," she murmured nervously before calling out, "Hello? Is anybody home?"

When she didn't get an answer, Lois tried the door. It was locked. But luckily, the city of Smallville was old-fashioned in all the best of ways, and Clark always kept a key under the mat. Lois located it and unlocked the door, entering the kitchen.

"Hello?" she called out again, noting that the house was completely dark. She flipped on a switch, and frowned when she noticed how neglected the place looked. It seemed it hadn't been swept in weeks, and there were dishes left in the sink.

"Wow, Mrs. K wouldn't approve," Lois said dryly. "When the hell are we now?"

Then, Lois spotted it. Joel's highchair, sitting in the corner. Joy coursed through her as she squeezed Joel tight. "We did it! We made it home!" But her joy was quickly dampened as she looked around her again, noting how neglected the house seemed.

_And where was Clark?_

Joel was getting antsy in Lois' arms, needing a diaper change and to get out of the wet clothes he was wearing from the rain. She took him upstairs and was relieved to find all his baby things, just as she had left them. As she changed Joel, worry gnawed at her gut, thinking about Clark.  
_  
How long have we been gone?_ _What effect must it have had on Clark?_

Joel seemed happy to be back, and even enjoyed having bath. Lois put him in fresh clothes and took him downstairs to feed him, all the while worrying about Clark. She peeked in the fridge, and was disheartened to see that it looked like no one had been there in over two weeks. Thankfully, there were still some jars of baby food in the cabinet. Lois fed Joel and then took him up for bed.

"We've had some adventures, huh kid?" she whispered softly, settling him into his crib. "Now if I can just find Daddy…"

Lois tucked him in and sat by his bed and rubbed his tummy, before winding a small toy that played a lullaby. Lois noticed Joel's giraffe in the corner of the crib, trying to remember if they had had it with them through the last time jump. She picked it up, puzzled as to how it got there looking so clean. She hoped it wasn't a signal that they had jumped to the wrong time. Eventually Joel settled into sleep, and Lois got up with a big sigh. She stood by the door a moment before blowing a kiss and shutting out the light. "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

She sighed as she headed back down the steps to the living room. Lois sat on the sofa and tried to process what she remembered of their jumps in time. It wasn't like the first time she jumped, where her memories had been all repressed, but it did feel like a dream.

She recalled seeing Clark and Lana together, and running into Ollie…. But the most amazing encounter had been meeting Clark in the future. The details were fuzzy, but Lois recalled a larger than life hero, flying to the rescue. She tried to reconcile that image with the broken man she had left, and she felt tears well up.

What if Clark still didn't have his powers? Future Clark had said he eventually got them back, but when? What if Slade had found him again and was holding him somewhere?

Lois tried to stave off the panic, but looking around at the neglected farmhouse, she couldn't help but come to the worst conclusion.

Lois started pacing around the living room, wondering what she should do. She spotted her purse on the sofa and thought of her phone. Maybe she could try to call Clark?

She was dismayed to discover that her battery was dead, and she couldn't remember where she had put the charger. The farmhouse still had a landline, but she never bothered to memorize anyone's number. Lois headed into the kitchen, thinking she may have left her charger in one of the drawers…

She started digging through the drawers, but then remembered that she had actually left it in her drawer at work. She let out a heavy sigh as she shoved the drawer shut. "What now?"

Lois looked about her in frustration, wishing she could reach out to someone to try and locate Clark. And she couldn't drive anywhere, since Clark's truck was missing. She was stuck there, especially with a thunderstorm raging outside…

"Clark, where are you?" she whispered forlornly, her stomach in knots over the idea that somehow Slade had gotten hold of him again… or maybe they _had_ jumped time. Lois hadn't exactly been proactive about keeping up with the house chores while Clark had been held in Fort Abrams…

Full of restless energy, Lois started cleaning. She scrubbed the dishes and swept the floor. She straightened the living room and vacuumed the carpet. Then suddenly, the electricity went out.

"Seriously?" she griped, pulling the vacuum plug from the wall. Then unexpectedly, feeling so overwhelmed she slid down against the wall and started sobbing. She was exhausted and feeling so lost. Perhaps they were in some other time… maybe some dystopian future where something had happened to all of them… she couldn't know!

She realized too late she could have checked the news on TV for a clue. But the power wouldn't come on again until at least after the storm passed.

Lois got to her feet, trying to pull herself together. She hated feeling helpless and uncertain. She found her way to the kitchen and dug through the drawers again, this time to locate a flashlight. She remembered seeing one earlier when she had been looking for her charger. When she found it, she then went on the hunt for candles and matches.  
Lois found a stash of both in the hall closet. She set about lighting them and setting them up strategically around the kitchen and living room. The house actually looked lovely in the candlelight, but it only served to reinforce Lois' distress.

She sat on the sofa in the living room, and let the tears flow. She had never felt so lost in her life. Lois knew in the light of day things would look better, but at the moment, with no communication to the outside world and coming home to a semi-abandoned farmhouse, she felt pretty hopeless.

Lois lay down on the sofa and tried to calm herself. She took a few deep breaths, but all she could think of was when she had last seen her Clark, dejected and afraid of never getting his powers back. What could have happened to him after they had disappeared?

"Where are you, Smallville?" she whispered to the darkness.

"Right here," came a whispered response, tight with tears.

Lois jumped, seeing a shadow outlined in the kitchen. She sat up, blinking in disbelief. "Clark?"

Clark suddenly came to her and she stepped into his embrace, relief washing over her.  
"You're all right," she breathed out in a sigh.

"I knew you'd come back…" he said softly, his eyes searching hers in the candlelight.

He suddenly pulled her closer, and kissed her deeply, thoroughly. Lois wrapped her arms around his neck, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, when there had been tears of sorrow only moments before.

"Tell me I'm home," she whispered when she could speak again. "Tell me that you know who Joel is and what that stupid gold ring is. Tell me…" her breath hitched just a bit as she finished. "Tell me you are okay, that Slade didn't come after you again…"

"Oh, Lois," Clark sighed, pulling her in for a hug again. "I'm fine. I'm better than fine… my powers came back."

"I knew they would," she smiled.

He nodded, his eyes scanning her features hungrily. "But once they came back… God, all I could think of was you and Joel. I know you had taken the ring…"

She shook her head. "No, that one you can blame on our little guy. I was actually looking for the disk," she admitted, somewhat abashedly. "I thought Jor-El could help you…"

"Well, you were right to think of Jor-El, but I wish you had come to me first," he reprimanded softly.

"Future you said the same thing," Lois responded with a snort.

"Future me?" Clark asked, suddenly curious.

Lois nodded. "Yep. And he—well, you told me Jor-El helped you. I'm sorry, Clark. I know I should have come to you first, but I was so worried… you were so withdrawn into yourself, and I didn't know how to reach you. It seemed like getting your powers back was all that mattered to you…"

"I'm sorry, Lois. You are right. I did withdraw… I feared that without my powers, I couldn't be me anymore, or at least, not who I was meant to be… But when I got my powers restored—Lois," he sighed. "I needed to be Clark Kent more than ever. But I couldn't face it here without you and Joel… I threw myself into being the Blur once more. But with every day that you were gone, I feared I was losing a part of myself…and it was terrifying me."

Lois pulled him in for a hug once more. "Well, I'm here now."

"When I saw you, lying on the sofa," he whispered into her hair. "I knew everything would be all right. That everything was right with the world once more. Lois, you help me be who I need to be."

She breathed out a sigh. "Wow… when I think about what I saw in the future…"

"What did you see, Lois?" Clark asked, sounding a little fearful.

"Clark, there is nothing to fear about the future. We've got this. And what you become is more amazing than I could have ever thought possible."

Clark let out a long breath, full of relief. "I hope you're right, and that I can live up to it."

"You will, Clark. You will."

~L&amp;C~

Oliver sat down beside the rock to study the bow, and its arrows. He had obviously used one of the bows to fight the darkness that had appeared. He got another shiver, wondering how long that old crone had been on his heels in these caves… He glanced around and sighed. These caves that he longed to get out of, now that he had accomplished his mission.

He tried his communicator, but knew that even before he did, he wouldn't be able to reach Watchtower.

Oliver sat his pack aside a for moment, to rest and think. He studied the arrows in his quiver. The one that he'd pulled to stop the evil crone had been 'Truth.' He wondered if that had been a mistake, but somehow he thought not. Though what truth had to do with anything, he wasn't sure.

He was curious about the power of the Bow, though. He pulled an ordinary arrow and shot it across the way, just to test it. He had more accuracy than ever, which for him was hard to beat. Also, the arrow felt effortless, clean, and lethal. It felt made for him, and though few things made Oliver feel humble, he was honored that he was the one who had found it.

One of the arrows started glowing in his quiver. The one marked 'Power'. Oliver studied it, curious as to why it was starting to glow. Then he noticed a small glint of light, a chink in the wall behind him. The light was from the sun, and he was a mere wall away from freedom.

But to use another arrow? There were only three, and one he had already used out of desperation. Was he supposed to use the second to escape?

He couldn't explain it, but the arrow seemed to be speaking to him, beckoning him to use it. Not sure what else to do, Oliver stood up and loaded the 'Power' arrow in the Bow. He let it fly into the chink in the wall, causing it to break a wide hole in it. Seconds later, the mountain started to shake and Oliver knew that he had mere moments before the whole place would collapse.

Oliver stepped through the large hole, seeing that he was about fifty feet above the ground. He shot a regular arrow into the side wall, and rappelled downwards, just as the mountain started collapsing in on itself.

Just as he cleared the ground, Oliver spotted his jet. He ran towards it, the Bow of Orion clutched in his hand, looking like molten silver in the sunlight.

The steps of the plane were ready for him to board. Oliver bounded up them, struggling to catch his breath as he shouted orders.

"We're done here! Let's go!"


	7. Chapter 7

**_January, 2009  
_**  
_"Don't worry about Lana, and don't forget about me."_

_Lois' words echoed in Clark's brain the rest of the day as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea of Lois visiting from the future. After she had left, Clark had gone into the barn to do some work and think._

_As he chopped firewood, he kept thinking over his past with Lana and felt like he had dodged an emotional bullet by not getting involved with her again. Still, guilt tugged at him, because he felt like he owed her one last shot at making things work. But at the same moment he thought that, he pictured Lois' hurt expression, seeing him and Lana together._

_And there was something about Lois that drew him to her. While Lana always got Clark's heart racing, Lois was a calm steadiness that he hadn't realized he needed. _  
_  
And he had almost thrown all of that away…_  
_  
Suddenly, a whoosh of wind blew by him, leaving an envelope on the log before him. Of course it was from Lana. Clark sighed, setting down his axe as he stared at the cream-colored envelope with his name scrawled across it in Lana's handwriting. _  
_  
Finally, knowing that she didn't have the power to hurt him anymore, Clark opened the letter:_  
_  
"Dearest Clark,_

_You will always be my first true love, as complicated and messy as that was for us. I realize that we often hid from each other, and for my part in that, I'm sorry. But I'm not sorry for the time we spent in love together, Clark._  
_  
Perhaps I was a little rash, hoping we could save the world together. Part of me wants to believe it is still possible… But I know better now than to believe in foolish dreams. Both you and Lex taught me that, though in completely different ways._  
_  
The power suit will stay with me forever, and I had hoped that you would, too. But, perhaps there is a bigger purpose for me out there, and perhaps it is meant to be that it won't be with you, as much as it saddens me to admit it._  
_  
I'm leaving Smallville… no, let me be honest. I'm leaving the US. Despite some consequences of having gone, I had really enjoyed Paris. I'm going back there… to see if I can help others who are in need._  
_  
I was wrong before, Clark. I am a distraction – a part of your past that I guess won't be part of your future. Though I do hope to see you again someday…_  
_  
No bitter feelings, though my tears do wet this page as I write. _  
_  
Change the world, Clark. I know you can._  
_  
Love always,_  
_  
Lana."_  
_  
Clark read the letter twice, feeling that she was finally setting him free. His love for Lana may have been real, or it may have been just a teenage boy's fantasy of what love could be. _  
_  
Clark took the letter upstairs to the loft and found his journal, where he kept odds and ends that reminded him of good times. Lana was a bittersweet memory to him, but he was content with that. He had learned a lot about himself from her, and about what he wasn't okay with. But she still meant something to him, even though those feelings would likely fade… were already fading._  
_  
~L&amp;C~_  
_  
After using the Legion ring himself a few weeks later, Clark had seen, once more, a side of Lois that surprised him and endeared him. She stood by him through Linda Lake's antics, and had accepted his secret with an open mind. She had been willing to fight for him, and yet he had been the coward and decided that turning back the clock was the only way to restore sanity._  
_  
Yet Lois kept haunting his thoughts. Future Lois had given him hope that there might be a future with her someday. But that was never going to happen if Clark kept avoiding her. This time when he set the clock back, he made sure he was on time to pick her up._  
_  
Rain was pouring down, just like the first time around. Clark collected Lois' things, surprised to see her luggage was sturdier with the time jump recalling how its contents had spilled out onto the street before. Lois ran up ahead of him to get cover under the Daily Planet entrance. " Some things never change. I've been gone a month, and you still drive in the granny lane," she tossed back playfully over her shoulder. _  
_  
Clark smiled, seeing for the first time that her teasing actually held a deeper affection. "You're welcome for the ride, Lois. Did I mention I missed your ongoing commentary?" _  
_  
She turned to him once they were safely out of the rain. "No, actually, and aside from asking me what the speed limit was, you barely said a word on the way home... or since I've been gone, for that matter, unless you count the three 10-second voicemails."_  
_  
Clark nodded, knowing he had been trying to find a way to bring up what had almost happened before she left. "Lois, you know, after the wedding, things got a little crazy," he began._  
_  
Lois chuckled. "Things got a little crazy before all hell broke loose. Let's face it. Or -or we could not face it and just forget that it ever almost happened," she said, back pedaling quickly._  
_  
He stared at her a moment, almost surprised to see the hope in her eyes. He had so much to say to her, to try and see if what he had almost felt with future Lois was real…_  
_  
Clark glanced around them at all the activity going on, knowing this was neither the time nor the place. "I think it's a pretty complicated conversation, Lois." _  
_  
Lois nodded, accepting Clark's point. "We don't have to overanalyze anything now. I'm gonna work off my jet lag later on tonight at the cafe. You want to come by for a coffee, cool. If not, let's just say I get it," she said breezily, though it looked like she was holding her breath in anticipation of his answer. _  
_  
Clark nodded, hope surging through him. This was it. This was their shot, however hidden it was in a 'friendly coffee date'. "Okay," he said simply, though the word carried more weight than he could share with Lois at the moment. _  
_  
"Okay," Lois answered, nodding with a slow smile. "See you then. " Then she abruptly turned, waving her arms as if to brush aside any seriousness of the prospect of a coffee date with Clark. "Or not. Or whatever. I'm going to work."_  
_  
As she stomped off towards her desk, Clark smiled to himself. His Lois was back, and it was about time he made something happen between them._

~L&amp;C~

PRESENT

Lois sat with Joel at Watchtower, marveling at her son. He seemed unscathed by their little adventure through time, and part of her was relieved that nothing had changed due to her little interferences in the time line. That Legion ring should come with a warning label, though. She told Clark that morning that he should lock it in its own lead box, especially with a soon-to-be toddler in the house.

Joel was starting to pull himself up, and was currently working on standing, holding onto the sofa Lois was sitting on. She smiled down at him. "You're getting to be a big boy, yes you are," she said proudly.

"He'll be walking before you know it," Chloe commented, watching them from across the room.

"I know… and he will definitely have some if not all of Clark's powers. He's gonna be a handful."

"Well, you two can handle it, I'm sure."

Joel made some wobbly steps towards his mother, smiling the whole time. Then he suddenly lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the table. Lois leaned down to pick him up, but it didn't even faze him. She checked his head and kissed it where he had bumped it, but didn't see any injury, so she set him up against the sofa again so he could give it another try.

Lois looked up to see Chloe watching everything carefully. "You think he didn't feel it because-?"

Lois bit her lip. "It's a good thing though, right? If he has Clark's powers?"

Chloe nodded, though she didn't look convinced. "I just think you guys are going to be in for a lot of challenges ahead… "

Lois shrugged. "Clark's parents did it. And they had no idea at first what Clark was capable of."

"True… but as far as I know, Clark didn't start displaying anything super until his teen years. All I'm saying is that it's going to be a challenge. Not impossible." Chloe gave Lois a sidelong smile. "But I know how you like challenges."

Lois grinned in return. "Yep. Sure do… Speaking of challenges, how was our absence explained at the Planet?"

"I think Clark had a story about Joel being sick… but don't worry. Clark covered all your bases. I'm sure everything will be back to normal come Monday."

Suddenly, a whoosh of wind was felt through Watchtower, heralding Clark's entrance.  
"Hey there," he said, coming over to greet his family. "What's this? Walking already?"

"Not quite yet, Smallville. But definitely getting there," she said, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. She suddenly had a flashback of being back in time, greeting Oliver. She felt slightly nauseous, as guilt rose up in her.

"Everything okay?" Clark asked, noticing her discomfiture.

She forced a smile. "Right as rain."

Clark turned to Chloe, but took Lois' hand. "Do you mind watching Joel for a few hours? I want to take Lois somewhere."

"Uh, sure. I got to be out of here by 10:30 though. Will you be back by then?"

"Yes, I promise," he said, then he picked Lois up in his arms and whooshed her out of Watchtower.

~L&amp;C~

Clark landed them at the barn, setting Lois gently down on her feet. She could see the loft was lit up with candles and slowly followed Clark up the stairs.

"What in the world is all of this?" she asked, glancing around at the tea lights and a small table in the center of the room, set for dinner.

He took her hand and pulled her close to him. "I missed you," he said simply.

She leaned in to hug him, and thought for a moment before she spoke. "I missed you, too. But not in the same way… I missed this. The closeness we have." She pulled out of his arms to look at him, but still held onto him. "Clark, there were so many missteps in our past… and it was such a journey to get here…"

He nodded. "I know…and it's weird, but I sort of have memories of running into present you, in the past."

She looked at him. "You do? Did I—change anything?"

He shrugged. "I don't think so… I mean, we are here now, and so is Joel. So whatever you did, everything turned out okay…"

She sighed in relief and laid her head on his shoulder once more. "I cheated on you, Clark," she finally mumbled.

He pulled away to see her face. "What? What do you mean, Lois?"

Lois stepped fully out of his arms and crossed her own defensively. "I totally didn't mean to… it's just that one of the jumps through time… I ended up at Ollie's loft, during the time we were dating… and he kissed me – and I let him," she admitted, sounding miserable. "I thought all those feelings were behind me, and in a lot of ways they are. But – it was like really being back there with him again. And it scared me – that I could feel that way. I know what's in my heart, that I love you, Clark. But why did I let myself respond to Oliver like that?"

Clark stared at her a long moment, and then took her hand, pulling her gently to sit down next to him on the sofa. "Lois, it's not your fault."

"Of course it is, Clark! I let him lipsmack me!"

"Lois, look at me," he coaxed gently, and she eventually turned to him. "This is going to be hard to say, but please hear me out."

She brushed her hair out of her face and nodded.

"Lana," he said simply, knowing all the complicated emotions that name brought up for both of them. "I haven't seen her since Chloe's wedding. But when I kissed her – all those old emotions came rushing back. But it didn't mean I was in love with her, Lois. Don't you see?"

When she didn't answer, he sighed, trying another angle. "Do you hold it against me that I kissed Lana and felt some of those old feelings?"

"But we weren't together at the time," she persisted.

"No. But I was thinking of being with you," he admitted.

"You—you were?" she asked, sounding surprised at this.

He moved closer to her, reaching for her hand. "That almost kiss that we never could seem to talk about? Well, I thought about it –a lot. And your disruption in time – Lois, it saved me from making a huge mistake. And I forgive you for kissing Oliver."

She squeezed his hand. "I just can't forgive myself for it. I was just-I don't know. It was like I was back to being Oliver's girlfriend again and I just had some unresolved issues that I didn't even know I had…" She sighed. "Do you really forgive me? Cause if you time traveled and lipsmacked Lana- I don't know. I'd have issues…"

"Lois… it's in the past," he said, taking her hand with her engagement ring on it. "It's time we start looking to the future. Our future."

She stared at the ring a long moment, thinking of what Clark was offering – forgiveness and a future. "And getting married?" she said, feeling excitement rise in her belly.

"Yeah," he answered softly, moving closer to her.

Her eyes met his, open and vulnerable. "I do love you, Clark. With my whole heart. I love where we are together, where we've come. Through every jump in time, all I could think about was coming home to you… to this," she said softly, leaning into him as their lips finally touched.  
_  
~L&amp;C~_  
_  
2009_  
_  
Later that night…_  
_  
Lois hadn't seen Clark much for the rest of the day. She was pretty certain that the coffee date was a stupid idea. She knew she had feelings for Clark, but she wasn't sure he was ready to face his own._  
_  
Lois ordered a large cappuccino and sat outside the café, preparing herself to be stood up. For most of the morning, she had felt a little hopeful, but as the day dragged on and Clark made himself more scarce, she was certain he was using work as an excuse to avoid her._  
_  
"Just get it over with," she mumbled to herself, waiting for the text that would inevitably come in saying that Clark couldn't make it._  
_  
"Is this seat taken?" came a warm voice from above her._  
_  
She glanced up at Clark, trying to tamp down the bubble of hope she felt rise inside her. "No, just saving it for a coworker who seemed to have disappeared all day."_  
_  
"Sorry… I—just was catching up with stuff," Clark said, sounding lame even to Lois' ears._  
_  
"I'll bet," she responded, hiding her face in an overly large cappuccino mug. _  
_  
"Lois, look. I am sorry… " he began._  
_  
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Smallville. I understand the allure of old flames, trust me," knowing instantly what he was apologizing about. She eyed him curiously. "So, how did things turn out?"_  
_  
Clark sighed. "We've both moved on."_  
_  
"Really?" Lois responded, still skeptical._  
_  
Clark nodded. "Really. I guess—uh, well,-" he floundered around awkwardly._  
_  
"How about we start with coffee? And then see where we go from there," Lois finished for him, willing to let him off the hook since he made the effort to meet her there tonight.  
_  
_"__Okay. Sounds good. Coffee it is…and the rest?"_  
_  
"Let's just take it slow. Take our time to figure this whole thing out. Okay, Smallville?"_

~L&amp;C~  
**_  
2008_**  
_  
Oliver stared at the empty space that Lois had just occupied moments ago. He blinked several times and shook his head, trying to understand what had just happened. Then he let out a sigh, sitting down on his sofa. _  
_  
He knew he wasn't being fair to Lois… Lois of his present, that is._  
_  
She deserved more than he could give her, he knew that._  
_  
But he kept dating her – well, the idea that he was dating her – because he wanted to believe that he deserved someone like her. But he kept running away, perhaps knowing deep down that Lois wasn't the one for him._  
_  
Lois had said there was someone for him in the future… could he trust that? Could he let Lois go, hoping that what she had told him was true?_  
_  
He wanted to believe her… but he knew that his relationship with Lois would run its course. He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable goodbye, but he wasn't ready to be the man she needed. Deep down, perhaps he had known that since he met her._  
_  
Still, it didn't mean he wouldn't fight for the chance to be with her. It was just that his alter ego kept getting in the way…_  
_  
And if he told her the truth?_  
_  
Future Lois seemed to get it, but the woman he was dating today? She was obsessed with bringing down the masked vigilante, Green Arrow. It would devastate her to learn the truth about him now…_  
_  
Besides, would it help his chances of being the one for her if she knew?_  
_  
Oliver didn't think so… not the way she had looked when she talked about Clark. There was something special there, deeper than he had ever dared to go with anyone, and that was something he envied._  
_  
"She'll surprise you. But she's your match." Those words echoed in Oliver's head… He wondered who Lois could mean. On his best days, he imagined being the kind of man that would marry. Someone like Lois, ideally. But Oliver couldn't fathom anyone else…_  
_  
Yet, deep down he didn't think he deserved her. He was too wrapped up in his work, in Green Arrow. And while he knew he had a larger purpose, he wasn't ready to really open his heart…_  
_  
Suddenly his phone buzzed to life. It was a text from Lois. "Still on for tonight?"_  
_  
Oliver's finger hovered over the reply key. He didn't know if he should see her tonight. Not after what had happened… he didn't know what revealing to Lois what he knew about her future would do. But he knew where they would stand down the road – as friends, not lovers._  
_  
He sighed. He didn't know how much longer he could string her along, not without knowing about Green Arrow, and not after knowing that they ultimately wouldn't end up together._  
_  
But he would let the relationship run its course… he would try not to break her heart, but he'd do his best to protect his own in the process._  
_  
"Can't tonight. Promise I'll make it up to you." _  
_  
Oliver hit send, and felt like a lying fool._


	8. Chapter 8

Lois stared at her wedding planner book, summoning courage to open it again.

A flood of memories came back, making her uncertain how she should approach it all. She recalled feeling happy and reading her mother's letter on her first attempted wedding day, feeling over-the- moon happy at the idea of marrying Clark. Then she remembered the panic when Joel was kidnapped… and the worry she lived with when Clark was exchanged for their son…

She almost wondered if they were cursed, unable to get married… She tried to remember if she had seen a wedding ring on Clark's finger in the future. She wasn't sure… but she couldn't stand the idea of something going wrong this time.

She remembered something future Clark had said though: '_We do great, Lois.'_ She took a deep breath, anchoring herself to that memory to give herself courage to dive into wedding plans once again.

Lois thought about Clark and last night; how romantic he had been. She smiled to herself, recalling how dessert had been forgotten… until they needed a midnight snack after some amorous activity. Lois suppressed a giggle, remembering feeding Clark tiramisu, and how they had ended up on the kitchen floor, laughing and kissing, licking mascarpone off each other's lips.

She took a deep breath. She could do this…

Chloe had laughed when Lois had first showed her the Big Bridal Book, stuffed full of wedding ideas, teasing Lois that Chloe had no idea she was the gung-ho wedding type. But secretly, Lois had been dreaming of the perfect wedding for a long time…

She knew that this time it would be different. This time, they would do the ceremony in a church, possibly giving more credibility to the idea that it would actually happen. But as Lois reselected decorations, she couldn't help but wonder if another disaster was merely looming around the corner…

~L&amp;C~

"Dad wants to invite a few of his closest friends. I told him that it would be fine," Lois told Clark later, sitting at a café having lunch.

Clark looked decidedly nervous. "Is that really such a good idea? After what we went through with General Wilson? How do we know that he didn't get to them? Or that they were there and saw—" he couldn't even finish his sentence, he was so upset.

"I know you are worried, Clark. But—I mean, who else are we going to invite?" she said, trying another angle. "My sister, your mom, and your friends…" she twisted her engagement ring around nervously on her finger. "Okay, I admit, it might be a bit risky mixing Dad's military friends with your super friends… but the VRA didn't go through. We're all on the same side now… and no one has to know…"

"Your dad knows, Lois," Clark said pointedly.

"That doesn't mean he's going to blab to everyone he knows, Clark! Listen to yourself! It will be fine," she said,  
reaching across the table for his hand.

He sighed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You're right. I guess I'm just-" he glanced around, and then lowered his voice. "Worried. Last time we tried this—" he glanced over at his son, who was playing with cut up noodles Lois had brought, sitting in the restaurant-provided highchair.

Lois glanced at Joel. "I know. Trust me, I've been worried too," she admitted.

"You have?"

She nodded. "Not about us – just about getting _to_ the us part. But Dad promised me he knows these guys very well. He went to the Military Academy with them. They are like his brothers… and some of them are like my uncles. It will be fine, Clark. Trust me."

~L&amp;C~

Lieutenant John Henry Cable stared at the gold rock in his hands. He barely remembered visiting General Slade Wilson in jail, let alone digging up half a field in Smallville…

But the gold rock had a purpose. It was to stop the alien; General Wilson had been clear about that. All he had to do was go to his buddy's daughter's wedding, and switch the rings.

It was his duty to keep his country safe, the world safe.

And he would follow through.

~L&amp;C~

Clark came home a few nights later to Lois pacing excitedly in the living room.

"It's about time you got here!" she said with a grin. She raced over to him and gave him a kiss, then tugged him by the hand to the sofa. "This came from your mom today. It's the same one I saw! I can't believe it's actually the same! I mean, of course it was you – but still, to know what you will be—"

Clark interrupted her tirade, trying to follow. "Lois, what on earth are you talking about?"

"This!" she said, pointing to a flat grey box tied with a black, silk ribbon. "I knew Mrs. K could sew, but wait until you get a load of this!"

Clark stared at the box, confused. "It's not my birthday… what's going on?"

Lois was so excited that she was about to burst. She took the card from the box and handed it to him. Clark opened it, reading, "_For when you're ready. Love, Mom."_

"Go on! Open it!" Lois encouraged.

Clark undid the smooth ribbon and opened the box. There in blue, red, and yellow – his favorite colors—was a suit, meant to be worn by the Blur, with the symbol of Clark's Kryptonian family emblazoned on the chest. "What is this? I could never wear this," he said, pulling the suit out to have a closer look.

"Clark, trust me. You will. I know. I saw you in it," she persisted, her fingers unable to resist tracing the 'S' representing the House of El.

"Lois, I—can't," said Clark, his voice heavy with uncertainty as he dropped the suit back in the box. "It's—just not me."

"Clark, but it is. Or it will be you." Seeing that he still wasn't buying it, she tried another angle. "Okay, I get that maybe you're not ready right now, but trust me. There will come a day when you can step out in this suit, and the whole world will be watching – but in awe, and with gratitude."

Clark stared at her, still unsure, but fingering the edges of the cape. "I don't want to be ogled at and admired. I just—" Clark shook his head turning away from the box, and pulled Lois closer to him. "I just want us. To get married, to raise Joel. And yeah, I do want to help people." He stared down at the box with a heavy sigh. "But I don't know if that is the way to go about doing it."

Lois laid her hands gently on his chest. "Clark, look at me."

He turned his worried expression to meet her encouraging eyes. "You may not think you are ready. But I am sure that a day will come when this suit will be like second nature to you."

"But how do I keep my identity secret, Lois? If everyone knows I am the one blowing out fires and saving people, I'll never have a life. We'll never have a life. And I don't wish that for us."

"Clark, I know you will always want to help. But you're right. You can't walk around as Clark Kent saving the day." She stared at him a moment, biting her lip.

He could tell she was forming a plan. "What is it?" he asked with just a hint of dread.

Lois reached into her purse, but kept her hand inside. "Just hear me out. I recently had a glimpse of the future and—" she pulled out a pair of thick, black glasses.

"What are you doing with those?" he asked suspiciously.

She presented them to him. "Smallville, what if you played down the hometown hero just a tad?" Her eyes swung towards the box with the suit. "Then, when you need to go save the day, no one will be looking to mild-mannered Clark Kent."

"Why can't I just keep doing what I'm doing?"

"Because—this," she said, tapping the box. "Is a symbol. Just like your shield. But instead of leaving a calling card-why not just be that symbol?"

He thought a moment, and then took the glasses out of her hand. He stared at them, and then reluctantly put them on. "I guess I should be wearing a mask. Unfortunately, I've lived my entire life up until this point without needing one… I mean, this is the face that my parents raised. It's the face of the man that you love. And I don't want to deny who I am when I'm out there doing what I was born to do."

"I don't want you to either. But what if you didn't have to hide as the Blur? What if – Clark Kent became the disguise?"

He nodded, mulling over what she was saying. "When I'm out there in the red and blue, and I'm saving people, that's who I really am. I am the Blur, and I always have been."

"Exactly. You are the Blur – and Clark Kent. But they are both just words, Clark. You make them into something… And if you play down the Clark Kent, and play up the Blur—"

"No one will connect the two."

She nodded. "So, what do you think? Are you willing to give it a try, so that one day the world can see the Blur?"

"Do you mind? If your fiancé – is the guy with the glasses?"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Personally, I don't mind the bump in your geek factor."

"Really?" he answered with a smile, pulling her in closer.

"Nope. Not one bit… especially since I can't wait to see you in that suit," she teased, giving him a light kiss.

He rolled his eyes. "Spandex, really? What was my mom thinking?"

She leaned up to kiss him again. "She was thinking… better make sure no one will be looking at his face."

~L&amp;C~

Sam Lane sat back in his office chair, staring at an old family photo of his girls – Lois, Lucy, and Ella. He picked up the photo, the solid brass frame cool in his hands. How quickly time goes by…

_It was their last night in Moscow before their flight back to the States. They had been in Russia almost a full year, and while living abroad had been a challenge in many ways, Sam and Ella had only grown closer._

_He'd admired how she had tried to learn a bit about the culture and the language, taking courses off-base and insisting when he was around that they visit a museum or a market. She never did anything half way, his Ella. She lived just as she loved, with her whole heart, and full of passion._

_Sam wanted to make their last night memorable, and so he had booked a reservation at a highly recommended restaurant in the center, near the Kremlin. Sam wasn't always good at being romantic, but he knew it would be difficult to head back to Smallville after everything they'd experienced in this strange, but fascinating country._

_At dinner that night, sitting there in the candlelight, Ella seemed pensive. She was beautiful in a light, chiffon blue dress, but she was preoccupied with something. Sam knew that being a military wife was difficult, but he thought she'd be happy with the thought of going home._

_"Are you going to miss Russia?" he asked her as they scanned the menus._

_"Me? Oh, I don't know. It's been very fascinating – if a little frustrating at times. I think it will be nice to be home for a while… do you know if you really will be home for a while?" she asked nervously, though she tried to play it off as no big deal._

_Sam put down his menu and noticed his wife's preoccupied stare. "Well, I'll get about three months R&amp;R, and then the next deployment."_

_"I see… well, what if I stayed home this time?" she asked, worrying her napkin, which was still in its silver ring on the table next to her plate._

_"Why would you—" Sam started. But then he saw Ella smile, and she reached her hand across the table to him._

_"I was going to wait until we got home to tell you…but this is such a nice way to end our stay here and—Sam, we're going to have a baby," she said, her eyes shimmering with tears of joy._

_"A baby…" he said, delight and trepidation setting his heart to thumping in his chest._

_"You are happy, aren't you?"_

_"Of course, Ella. How long have you known?"_

_She pushed her hair back behind her ear, a shy smile on her face. "Just since yesterday. Oh, Sam. It's been killing me keeping it a secret!"_

_Sam leaned across the small table and kissed his wife. "Then of course you'll have to stay home… and I'll see what I can do about either getting longer time off or being back in time for the baby."_

_"I know we'll work out something," she said, smiling happily.  
Sam pulled a small box he had somehow snuck into the restaurant without Ella noticing. "I was going to wait until after dinner, but now seems like the appropriate time."_

_"What is that? A present for me?" Ella asked in happy surprise._

_"I was at that market square that you keep telling me about…. And I saw this old woman selling these glass figurines. She told me this one meant -how did it go? 'Nadeyat'sya.'"_

_Ella took the small box and opened it, pulling out a blue glass figurine of a bird. "It's beautiful, Sam," she said, turning the figure around in her hand to admire it. "What did you say it means?"_

_"Now, I worked all day long to practice how to say it in Russian. And I asked a few buddies of mine what it means… it means 'hope,' Ella," he said softly._

_Ella touched her belly, where a tiny life was already growing inside her. "Hope. That's the perfect sentiment for this evening, Sam. Hope…" she mused quietly, the glass bird glowing in the candlelight._

Ella had kept that glass bird with them every time they moved. He loved how she would tell the story about where it came from to the girls, and even when Ella became ill, how that bird had given her strength… Sam felt sadness wash over him, recalling how hard those last days had been. But Ella had never given up… and even towards the end, she had always kept Old Blue nearby, her talisman of hope.

He thought he remembered putting Old Blue in a box of Lois' things, long ago, since it was sort of her bird as well. After all, Ella had been pregnant with Lois when Sam had given it to her. But he wondered if Lois remembered it.

Sam knew Lois had some of her old things at the Kents', but there was one box that had stayed hidden in the back of Lois' closet for years. He remembered that was where Old Blue had ended up, and he felt it might be time to give it to Lois again. She was a mother herself now, and was getting married – finally, after all she and her fiancé, Clark, had been through.

Sam wasn't sure, but he thought it might be Ella talking to him… he needed Lois to have that box, and especially to have Old Blue.

~L&amp;C~

"It's like Christmas around here or something," Lois laughed, carrying in a big brown box from the front porch. "First your super suit and now this…" her voice faltered, as she recognized her crayon markings on the outside of the box.

"Lois, what is it?" Clark asked, seeing her expression. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, setting the box gently down on the kitchen table. "No… I just know what's in this box. Well, not exactly, but I know it's a minefield… it's things from when my mom—" she couldn't finish.

Clark laid a hand gently on her shoulder. "You don't have to open it now, Lois," he said kindly.

She shook her head, and wiped away an escaped tear. "No, I do. I need to. Because I've imagined for years what's in here, and it's fueled endless guilt and—I need to know. Now more than ever," she looked up at him. "Clark, there's been a part of me missing—my mom. I mean, I know in some ways, she's always with me, but I left so many questions unanswered, too afraid of what the answer would be…." Lois pulled one flap of the box open, almost afraid to look in; but as she peeked over, she gasped, covering her mouth involuntarily.

"Lois, what is it?" Clark asked, worried.

She pulled out a crystal blue bird, and tears shone brightly in her eyes. "Oh, my God. It's Old Blue," she whispered reverently. "Mom used to keep it in her kitchen window. I haven't seen it since..." Lois' voice faltered, and once more, Clark gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I never went to visit her in the hospital, Clark," she said, full of shame. "What kind of kid refuses to visit their sick mom?"

Clark gave her a sympathetic look. "A really scared one."

"She was there for five weeks and... I didn't... " Lois stopped, her emotions too painful. "I didn't say good-bye to her," she eventually got out. Lois looked into the box and pulled out an old VHS tape. "But it looks like she did. This is from the hospital," she said, staring at the video cassette, suddenly looking very uncertain. "Clark, what if she's angry... that I didn't go see her? You know? I'm not sure I can face this."

"Lois, you shouldn't feel guilty for not wanting to open up old wounds."

"Haven't you felt like something was missing in your life, not having all the answers to why your parents sent you here? That ice palace father of yours-"

"Is a machine. It's different, Lois."

"He sent you here and trained you. He does love you, Clark—"

Clark glanced away from her gaze, uncomfortable with the subject. "Maybe I should go on patrol," he murmured vaguely.

"Clark, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Distance yourself," she said with a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what it's like to be you, granted. But I know it can't be easy with Jor-El as your father… and my mom—I just don't know if I'm ready to face this."

He pulled her into his chest for a hug. "You don't have to face it alone, Lois. Do you want me to watch the tape with you?"

She sighed, staring at the black video cassette. A sticker on the side, written in her mom's handwriting said, 'For Lois.' "I think I need to do this on my own, Clark. These are past memories that I need to face… to deal with, so I can move on. So we can get married," she added with a smile, wrapping her arms around Clark's neck.

"I know you and I will be fine. But you're right. There are some—unresolved questions when it comes to Jor-El. I've had to relate to him through a computer… and there are times I wonder what it would have been like growing up on Krypton. But I know that I never would have met the amazing people here… I would have never met you," he said, pulling her closer. "And when I think of it in those terms—Lois, our love is even more incredible. Because you're my soul mate, Lois. Somehow, across the universe, I ended up here—with you. And that in itself, is miraculous."

"Wow, Clark," she breathed. "You know, I think I have you all figured out, and then, you say something like that and take my breath away…"

There were no more words between them, as their eyes met and held, each marveling in what they had in each other, though circumstances had taken others away from them. Clark leaned down, and brushed his lips against her jaw, and Lois slipped her hand under Clark's t-shirt, feeling the smooth muscles in his back.

Clark trailed kisses down her neck, and then Lois brought his head up so she could look in his eyes. "I'm yours forever," she whispered.

Clark suddenly lifted her, and carried her over to the sofa, gently setting her down as he settled over top of her. He brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Lois, I think I knew from almost the moment we met that you were someone special to me…. It took me years to accept how special because it scared me, I guess. But then, it was so easy to fall in love with you…" he said, kissing her cheek.

Lois wrapped her arms around Clark. "I know I loved you for longer than I ever admitted…"

That made Clark pause a moment. "When did you know? When we started working at the Planet together?" he asked, punctuating his question with a kiss on her collarbone.

She shook her head.

"When you spent Thanksgiving here for the first time?"

She shook her head again, inviting him to kiss her chin.  
"When you moved in?" he asked again.

She shook her head once more, a grin beginning to form on her lips. Clark leaned up to kiss her lips. "Tell me… when?"

"Well, I'd have to say… must have been when I got my first glance of you buck naked in that field, Smallville. Ain't no one got a body like you," she teased.

"Lois, be serious."

She giggled. "Okay… " she said, sitting up just a bit. "I knew it at Chloe's wedding. Clark—that almost kiss," she breathed out, settling back down on the couch, her hand lazily stroking his arm.

"Oh," he answered, sounding guilty. "And then I went and threw Lana in your face. I'm sorry, Lois."

"All good, Smallville. Thanks to my time traveling adventure… do you remember?" she asked curiously.

"Wait, I do… Lana and I kissed but we didn't—" he stopped himself before he finished that sentence. "You –saved me, Lois."

She grinned. "Well, I had to pay you back somehow for all the millions of times you saved me somehow."

"Happy to do it," he said, getting back to kissing her neck. "Now, where were we?

~L&amp;C~

Good news! The story is complete! Just a bit of editing to do. There will be two more parts, the last one being extra-long. I will post the rest of the story by the end of the week, so no more long waits! Thanks to all who are reading, and especially those who leave feedback!


	9. Chapter 9

Two days until the wedding…. And three days since Lois had discovered the VHS tape of her mother. Every day since she had found it, she had come up with another excuse as to why she couldn't watch it yet.

But now she had a free afternoon, and Joel was down for a nap. Clark was out on patrol and Lois had nothing but time on her hands.

She knew it was time to face the music.

Lois put the tape in the player and settled herself on the sofa, wrapping one of Mrs. K's homemade blankets around her for comfort.

She took a deep breath, and pressed play.

Lois marveled at how young her mother looked, despite the shadows on her face that indicated her lack of health. Her mom nervously brushed a hair off her face and began speaking.  
"Hope I'm doing this right," she began, unsure. Then she took a deep breath, shaking her head as she searched for words and then looked right into the camera, right at Lois.

"Lois, My little girl," she began, her voice full of love. "I've asked that you girls not be brought to visit me at the hospital." That first revelation elicited a few tears from Lois, her heart filled with guilt relieved.

"I know you don't like being told what to do, but I want you to have happy memories of me," Ella said, making Lois smile. A dozen memories came rushing back to Lois, of time spent with her mother. She had almost forgotten the joy, so guilty over hiding the pain of losing her mother.

"Mom," Lois whispered with a soft cry, as another tear slipped down her cheek.

Ella sat up a little straighter, pulling a shawl more tightly around her shoulders. "The colonel is convinced I'll pull through," she said, though she sounded doubtful. "He packed a bag with my favorite nightgown and sweater. I didn't know your father noticed those things. He even managed to slip in Old Blue," Ella said, holding up the little glass bird that Lois had remembered from her childhood.

"Your father got this for me the day we found out I was pregnant with you," Ella explained. "We were stationed in Russia, and there, this is considered a symbol of hope." Ella stared at the little glass bird a moment, contemplating all it represented. "He's going to do a wonderful job raising you."  
She looked up, trying to stave off tears that were starting to well up, knowing that she wasn't going to be around much longer. Ella tried to smile. "But sometimes girls need their mother. So, as hard as these tapes are to make, they're for the days that I want to be there and won't be. Play the tapes," she pleaded. "Think of me because losing a parent can create a hole in a person's heart."

Lois' own tears were flowing freely now, as much with grief as out of love. She couldn't believe she had suppressed her grief of losing her mother for so long. And she couldn't believe how cathartic it felt to hear what her mother thought, and to know that her mother hadn't resented her for not going to the hospital, but had instead requested it.

"Someday you're going to meet someone special," Ella was saying. "Knowing you, I'm guessing tall, dark, and handsome," she said with a smile, and Lois couldn't help but smile through her tears, thinking of Clark.

Ella's voice faltered as she went on. "And you can't commit to that person fully if you think there's a love that you're missing from some old memory like me. You can't let someone leaving you stop your future with someone else." Ella looked around, contemplating what she would say next. "You know, the thing about being a parent is It doesn't end. Not with age. Not with death… I will always be your mother, Lois. And I will always love you," Ella said, emphasizing every word, before the tape ended.

Lois stared at the static a moment and let the tears fall. She then shut off the TV and settled deeper into the sofa as she contemplated what she had learned on the tape. Her mother wasn't angry with her, and in fact had so much wisdom to impart to her. Lois knew watching the other tapes would be hard, but she would do it. She knew she could do it now, and face the past. Because it wasn't a hateful, terrible void, but a mother who wanted her children to remember her.  
Lois cried harder at that thought, pulling her knees up close to her chest. "I'm sorry, Mom," she whispered through her tears. "I only wanted to remember the good times… I –I just didn't know how to handle it back then…"

"Oh, Lois," she heard Clark's sympathetic sigh nearby.

Lois looked up, and wiped her tears as Clark came to sit by her on the sofa. "Are you all right?"

She wiped her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, just got through watching the first tape… Clark, she wasn't angry or hurt, or any of those things I feared for years… And I just pushed all those memories to the back, too afraid to deal with it all. When all she wanted was—to be there for me. Even if it was just through these tapes. I mean, I guess… I should have known. I read the letter your mom found before Wedding Number One… but these tapes—" Lois glanced at the box that had roughly ten VHS tapes, all carefully labeled for her to watch.  
"I guess I was afraid to see her in person again," she said, her voice heavy with guilt.

Clark pulled her in for a hug. "It's not your fault, Lois. She died when you were a kid. You were too young to understand…"

Lois wasn't ready to forgive herself just yet. "But when I was older? Clark, I simply threw myself into being Mom for my little sister. I acted like—I acted like we didn't even have a mom."

"Lois, it's all right. You are facing it now. And that's all that matters."

Lois glanced at the TV, where her mother's image was just moments ago. "She was so full of love, Clark. How can I ever live up to that?"

"It's not something to live up to, Lois. Just like my father's expectations can't determine my future. All we can do is take what our parents give us and make the most out of it." He pulled her in for another hug. "But for the record, you live up to her pretty amazingly. I'm sure she's proud of you, Lois."

"You think so?" Lois said, still unsure.

Clark gently pulled her chin to face him. "I know so… why else do you think I'm marrying you?"

Lois grinned. "Because you got me knocked up in some apocalyptic future?"

"Oh, yeah, that too," he teased, giving her a quick kiss. But then his eyes turned serious. "Lois, you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. You live and love passionately, and you are just as determined as I am to see justice done in the world. I love you for all those reasons, and more."

"We do kick all kinds of ass together, don't we?" she smiled, her tears starting to dry up.

"Indeed. And we're going to finally make it official in just a few days. So, what do you say, partner? Ready to get married?"

"I've been ready for almost a year. Time to seal the deal," she whispered, as they neared closer, until they finally kissed.

~L&amp;C~

Chloe had helped Lois find the perfect chapel for the wedding.  
It was a small church that had been built when Smallville was founded, in the mid 1800's.

It was the day before the big event, and Lois and Chloe arrived with flowers and streamers to decorate the chapel.

"I'm glad we could book it so last minute," said Lois, gathering supplies from the back seat.

"Well, it's not like Smallville is Metropolis," quipped Chloe. "But I'm glad it worked out."

"I just couldn't face a wedding in the barn again… not after what happened with Joel," Lois said forlornly. "I should have listened to my instincts then—especially after what happened with—Jimmy." Lois' eyes met Chloe's, giving her cousin an apologetic look.

"I know," Chloe nodded sadly, but then went on, moving quickly past the dark memory of what had happened to Jimmy. "But this place has so much history… Clark's parents were married here."

"Really? Clark didn't mention that."

"He probably thought you knew," Chloe said, fishing keys out of her purse. "The parson gave me a key, because there is rarely anyone here during the week. Hold this a sec?" she said, turning the key in the big wooden door.

The girls stepped inside, and after walking through a small nave, they were in the sanctuary. The wood glistened white, the sun shining in from the windows overhead. Lois looked around in awe. "It's simple and beautiful. Just perfect."

They soon got busy hanging up streamers and wildflowers around the sanctuary. In a little under an hour they transformed the small chapel into the perfect setting for a wedding. After they'd finished, they stood back to admire their handiwork.  
Chloe then pulled out a bottle of champagne and two plastic glasses from her oversized purse. "Now, it's time to celebrate," she said, grinning.

Chloe popped the bubbly and gave her cousin a glass. "To my amazing cousin, who will make a most amazing bride, and is the perfect match for my best friend Clark."

Lois gently clinked her glass with her cousin's. "I'll drink to that," she said before taking a sip. Then Lois held out her glass to make another toast. "To my cousin, who is one kickass Maid of Honor, and an even more amazing friend."

"Aww," Chloe cooed, taking another sip of her champagne.

The girls embraced and enjoyed the champagne. They collected the remainders of the decorations and sat on the front porch of the church, watching the sun set.

"You know, there was a time when I would have insisted on a traditional bachelorette party," Lois mused. "But this is so much better. Here's to appreciating the finer things in life," Lois said, clinking her glass with her cousin's once more.

They sat on the porch until the sun had set and they could hear crickets coming out. The champagne was long gone, and it was time to leave.

"Do I really have to stay at your place? I really want to just climb up on the couch and cuddle with Clark," Lois sighed as they made their way back to Chloe's car.

"Yes, you do," Chloe insisted with a laugh. "Besides, Mrs. Kent has Joel tonight. Who knows what nonsense the boys are getting up to."

Lois rolled her eyes. "Whatever… "

They got into the car and just before Chloe started the engine, there seemed to be a slight rumble outside, followed by a tremor felt beneath their feet.

"Was that thunder?" Lois asked, not recalling seeing any storm clouds in the sky.

"I don't think so… " Chloe said, turning on the car.

"Did you feel something?" Lois asked suspiciously.

"I'm sure it was nothing, Lois. Now, let's go enjoy our mud masks and movie marathon, okay? There's nothing to worry about."

Lois didn't respond. She stared at the window, at the perfectly lovely wedding chapel they had just decorated, and hoped that everything would be okay.

~L&amp;C~

Clark was to meet the guys at Oliver's loft at eight. He was already missing Lois, and wasn't looking forward to spending the night away from her. But he contented himself with the fact that they'd have a lifetime of nights to be by each other's side.

It was a silly tradition not to see the bride before the wedding, but considering how the last one turned out, Clark was willing to be just a bit superstitious.

Clark rode the elevator up to Oliver's loft. He really hoped Oliver hadn't booked any strippers or other nonsense. He hadn't outright told Oliver not to do so, but he hoped that his friends knew him well enough not to go that route.

As he entered the loft, Clark was relieved to see just his closest male friends and a banner that said, "Congratulations!"

Arthur Curry, Victor Stone, Bart Allen and John Jones all stood around a bar, having a drink and munching on snacks.  
They welcomed Clark, clapping him on the shoulder in  
congratulation.

"We didn't give you a proper enough send off last time," AC commented. "So we're rectifying that now."

"Where's Oliver?" Clark asked after greeting his other friends.

"He was supposed to be back by now. He had to pick up something for you. I told him I'd be faster," Bart laughed, dipping a few chips into some guacamole.

Then, the elevator opened, and Oliver entered, carrying a wrapped present. "Just in time," Oliver said, greeting Clark with a half hug. "This, my friend, is for you."

Clark took the dark blue box and glanced around at his circle of friends. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, open it first, Clark, then you might have something to say," Oliver teased, grabbing a beer.

Clark smiled and then carefully opened the box. Inside was a beautiful red leather jacket, embossed with his family crest across the chest. He touched the fine leather, speechless.  
"And he still doesn't know what to say!" Oliver teased. "Go on, Clark. Try it on."

Clark took the jacked out of the box, marveling at how soft the leather was. He slipped it on, and it fit him perfectly.  
"Thanks, guys," was all he managed to say.

"And don't worry. I had it made in a tiny town in Italy, where they've never even heard of the Blur. No way anyone can trace it back to me or you," Oliver explained glibly, though he was obviously pleased with Clark's reaction.

"Thanks, Oliver," Clark said sincerely.

Oliver shrugged. "We just got tired of you wearing that old denim jacket. I thought it was time you joined the big leagues, bud." Then Oliver looked around their circle of friends. "Didn't anyone order pizza while I was away?"

~L&amp;C~

_**2007**___

_Oliver had disappointed Lois once again. He kept being haunted by that visit from Lois of the future, and it was like a self-fulfilling prophecy. He knew it wouldn't work out between them, and yet he couldn't resist trying to make it happen._

_He had been a fool to suggest they could run off to the south of France for a mini-break. Even as he had suggested it, he had known that he wouldn't be able to follow through. But seeing Lois Lane smile, it was like a drug to him. Even as seeing her in tears broke his heart._

_But he couldn't keep doing this to her, to himself. He knew it was inevitable that they'd breakup, and now was the time to do it. She was already hurting, and prolonging the severing of their relationship would only make it worse. He had to make a clean break, now._

_Oliver looked into her tear-filled eyes, knowing it was over. "This is it, isn't it? The moment I'll look back on and  
regret?" he said, though their parting felt inevitable._

_She nodded._

_He felt his heart was breaking, and he reached out to her, to pull her in for just one more kiss. "Is there nothing I can say to make you stay?"_

_She kissed him, but then pulled away. "I can't do this anymore, Ollie. I keep hoping that I'll be enough for you, or at least important enough for me not to be an afterthought. I've been left behind too many times… I can't do this, Ollie. I can't," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks._

_She took her suitcase and headed towards the elevator. Their eyes met one last time before the door shut, and she mouthed 'goodbye.'_

_Oliver let out a frustrated grunt, mad at himself for not being able to make it work between him and Lois. Oliver wasn't sure if he had himself to blame for losing Lois, or the fact that future Lois had told him the truth._

_In the end, though, he had managed to hurt both of them. At least he knew that she'd eventually heal and move on in the future._

_As for himself, he wasn't so sure he could._

_~L&amp;C~_

_**2009**___

_Chloe Sullivan had saved his life…_

_Oliver sat across from her at a small café while she calmly explained to him why she had tortured him and made him fight to be Green Arrow again._

_"You were living like you had a death wish, Oliver. You had to face your demons if you were ever gonna make it out alive, and I had to push you over the ledge in order to pull you back," she explained simply._

_Oliver winced slightly, recalling her methods. "Did you have to push with a 3-ton truck?"_

_She smirked. "I didn't think a tricycle would be a strong enough point." She leaned in towards him, emphasizing her argument. "You're a fighter, Oliver. You fought for yourself and for a second chance."_

_"Chloe, I'm not the only one you put at risk." While he appreciated what she had done for him, Lois had almost gotten shot in the middle of Chloe's reckless game._

_"Don't worry. I played my cards close to my chest," she responded cryptically._

_"And Lois was what? She was, uh, just another ace up your sleeve?" he pressed._

_Chloe shook her head. "No. I never meant for her to get involved. She was chasing after you when she accidentally ended up storming the field. That's when Victoria went off script."_

_"I could have killed her," he said, knowing all the myriad ways he had hurt Lois in the past. The last thing he ever wanted was to put her in the crossfire._

_"No offense to your manhood, but I made sure that your gun was loaded with blanks just in case. I trust you, Oliver, just... not that much," she said, giving him a doubtful smile._

_"Did Clark know about this?" Oliver asked, not imagining that Clark would have approved of Chloe's little scheme._

_Chloe scoffed. "You can't be serious. Clark would never in a million years risk what needed to be done."_

_Oliver nodded in agreement. "Well, he's led a different life than we have, hasn't he? I can't expect him to know me like you do... the places that I had sunk to, the depths you must have had to go to bring me back." He looked her in the eyes, feeling full of gratitude. "Thank you."_

_"You proved it to yourself. Even with your face in the gutter, you still had the hero in your heart."_

_Oliver reached out to squeeze her hand. Her eyes met his, and something suddenly clicked inside him. Oliver knew she was the one… the one future Lois had mentioned, all that time ago - "She'll surprise you, but she's your match. You're gonna be okay, Ollie." At the time, he hadn't understood what Lois had meant. But sitting with Chloe now, knowing what she had risked to pull him back from the brink, he knew it felt right._

_Oliver leaned in, still holding her hand, needing her to understand what she meant to him. "You saved my life, Chloe," he said, his usual flippancy replaced by sincerity. "Both the myth... and the man."_


	10. Chapter 10

The day started out perfect.

Lois awoke to her phone buzzing with a message, making a clanky buzzing sound on the nightstand. For only the shortest of moments was she agitated until she opened her phone and saw the text: 'What do you say we get married today?'

She grinned and then stretched, her heart already beginning to race with excitement. Lois opened up the curtains to the Talon, where Chloe still stayed on occasions when Oliver was out of town. The sun was shining brightly, and as she looked up in the sky, there was nothing but big, fluffy white clouds. Lois sighed happily, and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee.

Chloe was already cooking up breakfast. "Breakfast of champions for the big day," Chloe said, handing Lois a fresh cup of coffee and a plate with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausages.

Lois smiled as she settled her breakfast plate and coffee on the island bar. "You are totally the best Maid of Honor ever!"

"I try," Chloe smiled in return. Then she started on the list of things to do before they headed to the chapel at eleven.

Lois put up her hand to stop her cousin. "Usually I am all about the details of a time line of tasks. But today… I just want to enjoy it."

~L&amp;C~

Sam Lane got a call just as he was about to get dressed for his little girl's wedding. He hoped everything would go smoothly today, especially after what happened the last time.

Sam glanced at his cell phone. The base was calling him on a Saturday, which must mean something important. He hesitated, tempted to ignore the call, but he knew there would be other consequences if it was indeed something important, and he wasn't someone who would neglect his duty.

"General Lane here," he answered begrudgingly.

"Sir, you are needed on Base right away," said the urgent voice.

"It's my daughter's wedding day. How urgent is it?"

"Sir, there have been seismic tremors felt across the country for the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours. They've brought in scientists from all over, and NASA has spotted something –a—a planet, moving towards Earth. Sir, your daughter may not even have her wedding today."

"I'm on my way," he grumbled, and then slammed down the phone on his dresser. "Damn," he said, shaking his head.

He didn't want to worry Lois though. Maybe this was all a hoax or they had the data wrong. Besides, he had plenty of his buddies coming that knew Lois very well. They wouldn't be needed on base, he was sure. But he had to check out what was happening.

And maybe, if it wasn't as urgent as they thought, he'd make the wedding.

But as he started putting on his uniform, he had a feeling that wouldn't happen.

~L&amp;C~

Lois stood in front of the mirror, admiring herself in her wedding dress. With Martha Kent's permission, she had taken her wedding dress and her mother's wedding dress, and had a local designer meld the two into one dress. The fitted bodice was covered in lace, a delicate floral pattern, accented with pearls. The material from her mother's gown was used as a wrap around the bodice and lower torso, ending with a wide bow at the hip, the rest of the material falling into a full skirt.

She felt beautiful, and oh so happy.

Chloe and Martha helped her with her hair and makeup, while Joel played in his portable playpen. Lois couldn't help checking on him every few minutes, remembering what happened last time.

"Are you sure you don't mind carrying him, Chloe?" Lois asked for the third time. "Cause I'll take him…"

"Lois, it will be fine. Besides, that bouquet is large enough. You are the one getting married. Don't worry about our little man. You just focus on marrying Clark."

Lois took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I know… you're right. How much longer till show time?"

Martha swept back in, having just delivered Clark his boutonniere. "Twenty minutes. The boys are ready. How about you, Lois? Are you ready?"

Lois turned in the mirror. Her hair and makeup looked great, but she knew Martha was asking about more than just her appearance.

Lois nodded. "I'm ready."

~L&amp;C ~

Oliver entered the church, hoping everything would go well for his two best friends today. But he was feeling a little uncertain, having heard some strange weather anomalies mentioned on the radio. Tess had told him about some research she had been doing on Darkseid, and it seemed that the omega symbols burned into people's foreheads was drawing something to earth. Oliver shut her down after that, not wanting to get overly worried about something before Lois and Clark's big day, but he knew they'd have to fight Darkseid sooner or later.

And if it happened that it was sooner, he wanted to be prepared. He brought the Bow of Orion with him to the church, just in case.

As he was coming out of the area behind the altar, Oliver tripped, and dropped the pillow with the wedding rings. A man in a military uniform reached down and picked it up for him.

"Thanks," Oliver said sheepishly, embarrassed that he had been so clumsy.

"No problem," answered the soldier, moving into his seat. The man's eyes seemed a little lifeless, but Oliver shrugged off the odd exchange, not wanting to read anything into it.

Oliver looked around the room, noticing that most of the guests had already filed in. Mrs. Kent was already seated, but Oliver noticed that Lois' father hadn't shown up yet. Oliver turned to the man who had handed him the rings. "Have you seen General Lane here, sir?"

The man shook his head. "No, I'm afraid he was called in for duty this morning."

Oliver didn't like the sound of that. Either it meant that Sam Lane thought work was more important than his daughter's wedding, or there was something to what Tess had told him the other day. Oliver tampered down his worry, and went to check on Clark.

He just hoped they could all get through this wedding…

~L&amp;C~

Clark fixed his bowtie for the third time, going through his vows in his head. Everything felt right about marrying Lois, but he couldn't help but feel that there was some other threat to their happiness that he just didn't see.

He had scanned the chapel twice before heading in, and he had heard a blurb on the radio about tremors affecting the area early this morning, but nothing had been on the news since. He thought he was being paranoid, but he didn't want anything to get in the way of marrying the woman he loved.

"Clark, you ready? I've got the rings," said Oliver, standing in the doorway.

Clark turned around. "How do I look?"

"Like a million bucks… " Oliver smiled, but then shifted nervously on his feet. "Uh, but I just noticed-Lois' dad isn't out there. I checked with your mom and she hasn't seen him either."

Clark sighed, hoping this wouldn't spell the end of their wedded bliss before it had begun. Then, an idea struck him. "Don't tell Lois. And don't let my mom or Chloe say anything. Send Lois out. I'll take care of the rest."

Oliver shrugged, "All right. You're the boss. See you out there in five."

~L&amp;C~

Finally, it was time. Lois headed to the sanctuary, with Chloe right behind her. Mrs. K had already gone in and sat down, but Lois hadn't seen her father anywhere.

Lois stood at the entrance, about to walk down the aisle, when she realized two things: her father wasn't there to walk her down the aisle and her groom wasn't standing at the altar.

She felt herself about to panic, feeling very confused and alone, when suddenly, a warm, solid hand slipped into hers.

She glanced up and saw Clark, smiling down at her. "Ready?" he whispered.

She nodded, grinning, feeling happy relief all over. "Ready."

As the string quartet began playing Pachelbel's Canon, they started walking down the aisle together. Lois got goosebumps, feeling like they were finally taking the first real steps of their journey together.

They reached the altar, but Clark didn't let go of her hand as they stood facing each other and the pastor began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to join these two in holy matrimony…" he droned on, while Lois and Clark stared into each other's eyes, drinking in the moment.

At last, it came time for their vows. Clark, as tradition dictated, went first. "I, Clark Kent, take you, Lois Lane, to be my companion, forever. With you by my side I will never be alone. Though the world sees a strong and independent woman, I've never known someone with such gentle grace and more pure heart," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "When I've been lost you've always been there to bring me back, so on this day, at this moment, I pledge the rest of my life to you. You've always believed in me, and I believe in you," he said, thinking of every moment she had stood by him, whether she knew his secret or not. Lois had always been there for him, and he wanted to always be there for her. "When you believe in someone it's not for a minute, or just for now, it's forever."

Lois struggled to hold back happy tears, preparing herself to say her own vows. She had practiced them over and over, and yet, saying them to Clark directly filled her with emotion.

"I wanted these vows to be perfect, but perfection is a hard thing to get your hands on. But life is meant to be a little messy, and when it comes to love I think it's like my dad always said about the army: You only sign up if it's the only thing you could ever imagine doing." She choked up a bit, but held onto Clark's hand for strength, seeking his eyes and their connection to help her continue. "Clark, I cannot imagine spending a moment of my life without you. I promise that I will always have your back, as you will always have mine. You're my best friend, you're my home, and you are my true love, and I am yours and will be forever," she said, her voice only faltering through her tears, though her eyes conveyed how deeply she felt her commitment, and she saw the same resolve reflected back in his eyes.

The pastor nodded to Oliver to bring forth the rings. Joel was shifting restlessly in Chloe's hold, suddenly trying to reach out and grab at the rings on the small, cream pillow.

Distracted from her bliss by her son, Lois looked down at the rings for the first time, seeing that Clark's looked a little odd… It was a golden, sparkly color, but not like her own solid band. Time seemed to stop as she processed what it was, and Superman's warning came back to her before she had jumped time, _'Lois! Don't let him touch the gold ring!'_

At the time, she had thought he meant the Legion ring, but seeing Joel grab for the gold ring before her, she suddenly knew, that something horrible would happen if either Joel or Clark touched the ring. Her arms went up, pushing Joel back on one side, and her hand landing on Clark's chest on the other.

"Lois, what is it?" Clark asked worriedly.

"I think… I think the ring is gold K," she said, wary of announcing kryptonite in front of everyone.

Suddenly, a soldier stood up in the congregation, his eyes dark as night. "Surrender to Darkseid!"

"Get everyone out – now!" cried Clark, immediately taking charge, as a sudden panic erupted in the sanctuary. Chloe took Joel behind the altar, where there was another door out. Oliver disappeared, and Clark whisked Lois away, only to blur back seconds later to face Darkseid's minion.

"I will never surrender to Darkseid!" Clark stated firmly, standing his ground.

Suddenly, Oliver was at the front entrance, a golden bow and arrow shimmering in his hands. "You've had my back many times, Clark. Now, I've got yours."

Oliver shot the arrow, Love, from Orion's Bow, hitting Darkseid's minion just above the heart, a master archer's shot like when Lois had been attacked. It was a shot meant to maim, not kill. In a flash of light, an omega symbol appeared on Lt. Cable's forehead, and then the blackness in his eyes emptied into tears, revealing his scared, brilliant blue eyes.

Oliver and Clark rushed to his side. "Always preserve a life," Oliver said to Clark. "You taught me that."

They helped Lt. Cable stand. "I'll take him to the hospital. Because I think you now have a bigger problem on your hands," Oliver said, pointing out the window.

Clark saw a large, black planet beginning to eclipse the sun. It must be Apokolips, the dark force that Darkseid had been drawing towards him.

"The world needs a hero now more than ever," Oliver said, before carrying Lt. Cable out of the church.

~L&amp;C~

Clark blurred to the farm, carrying Chloe and Joel. He had brought Lois and his mom here mere moments ago. Since defeating Darkseid's minion, the skies had grown darker, and the news was covered with stories about atmospheric anomalies and seismic tremors.

Lois hugged Clark as soon as he entered the farmhouse. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Oliver is too."

Lois took his hand, and pulled him to see what was happening on television. "Panic is starting to set in, and the government hasn't announced a plan yet."

Martha came to stand by them, her cellphone in her hand. "The Joint Chiefs of Staff are in a meeting, but I have no idea what they're planning. And I can't get any answers at the Pentagon. No one is saying anything until the President makes a statement."

Lois sighed. "I guess that's why Dad didn't make it here either." Then she turned to Clark, and he could see the trust, the faith she had in him to save them all.

"Lois, if I—" he began, but she hushed him with her fingers.

"Someone I greatly admire recently said to me that when you believe in someone it's not just for a minute, or just for now – but it's forever. Now, go save the world."

She leaned up to kiss him. "We'll be fine."

~L&amp;C~

Clark stared down at Joel, who looked around, worried at the obvious nervous energy in the room. Clark wanted a safe world for his son to grow up in. He knew he had to do everything in his power to make that happen.

He thought of his own father, and how Jonathan Kent had tried to make the world a better place, even if it was only through small acts. Clark had felt like his father was watching over him on his wedding day, and was encouraging him to take the lead on this one.

_"You're going to have to let Jor-El guide you from here on out, Clark," _ he thought he heard his father's voice say.

As Clark looked down on his innocent son, he thought about all that his own parents had done for him and taught him over the years. They had instilled in him a love of humanity, and a desire to do what is right. But he knew that it was Jor-El who had to help him now.

Clark looked outside, to try and judge how much time he had to get to the Fortress. But outside, he saw a strange figure heading towards the barn, an enemy he thought he had defeated long ago. It was Lex.

Clark rushed outside and followed Lex into the barn, but Lex wasn't himself. When he spoke, his voice was altered, taken over by Darkseid.

"The lost son of Jor-El," said the creature that looked like Lex.

"Darkseid," Clark acknowledged. "My father sent me here to protect this planet. And I will fight you until my last breath."

Through Lex's visage, the creature sneered at Clark. "There must be a part of you that is disgusted by how easily your people fell to me," Darkseid spoke, the sky behind him visibly becoming darker and turbulent.

"They may not be perfect, but I believe that even in the darkest soul there's always hope," Clark said, though he wondered if that was still true for Lex. They had once, a long time ago, been best friends. This Lex that stood before him now though, was only a shadow of the person Clark knew. He was probably a clone, easily used by Darkseid to deliver his message of destruction. "But people want to believe in something greater. And it may be easier to hate. But it's stronger to love."

"Is it?" said the demon derisively, assessing the strength of resolve of his opponent. "Eons have passed since I have come face to face with a force that could possibly tip the balance to the light," Darkseid said, his voice a hollow echo, a void. Darkseid lifted his hand, using an invisible force to hold Clark in a choke. "You are the light," the creature in Lex's form acknowledged, spitting the statement out like an epithet. "You will obliterate my darkness from the rest of the world if you are not stopped!"

Darkseid used his evil force, bringing Clark into his grasp. "You will surrender to me. You will lose your soul. I will annihilate you!" said the demon, casting Clark through the rafters of the barn.

As Clark was tossed into the wooden beams, the ethereal voice from a moment ago returned. This time he was convinced it really was his father. _"You're going to have to trust Jor-El from here on out, Clark."_

Suddenly, Clark was transported to the Fortress, and stood in a column of light. "You have always had the power within you, my son," said the voice of Jor-El. All around Clark, were his memories, flittering by in images of light – things he had done, people he had saved, ways he had grown to be the man – the hero—he was today.

He recognized he had always had the strength within him, as Jor-El said. "These were my trials," realized Clark.

"Your final trial is upon you, my son," spoke Jor-El. For once, there wasn't the condescending tone of authority in Jor-El's voice, but Clark thought he heard true affection, and love for who Clark had become. "You are ready. Seize your destiny!"

All of a sudden Clark was back in the barn. Where he thought he was falling, he felt himself floating – _flying_, for the first time. And with that knowledge, he felt strength surge within him.

He knew that Lex was nothing more than a shadow, a form Darkseid had used. Darkseid himself had said Clark was the light, and the only way to break through the darkness, was to pierce it with light.

Clark swiftly flew through the form of Lex, shattering Darkseid like so much dust in the wind…

~L&amp;C~

Clark flew to the Fortress – for the first time! The feeling was exhilarating, powerful, and humbling, because he could see the ever creeping Apokolips, which he knew he must stop.

He landed at the Fortress, ready to take the final step to meeting his destiny.

"Your journey has come to an end, Kal-El," spoke the voice of Jor-El.

"I shouldn't have tried to push away my Kryptonian side. My strength, is accepting it. Accepting you," Clark acknowledged, knowing that his relationship with his Kryptonian father hadn't always been on the best of terms.

"You honor me. A father's pride cannot be measured in words. But know that I am proud of you, son."

Clark let those words wash over him, recalling all the moments where he had wished to hear such words from Jor-El. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

"We have been on a long road together, Kal-El. One paved with difficult trials. Those trials are behind you now. Any father can only hope that he is one day humbled by the feats of his son," Jor-El said, and Clark nodded, thinking of his own son, and what he hoped he would become. "But it is your soul, Kal-El, of which I am the most proud. You, and you alone, possess the courage and the determination- and the compassion that will be required of you to lift the darkness from the earth."

Suddenly, the rocky ground moved beside him, as ice and crystal shifted. There, in a crystalline case, was the suit his mom had gifted to him. Clark had no idea how it had gotten to the Fortress, but he knew that somehow there was something intrinsically special about the suit, and that Jor-El would be proud of him to wear it.

"I ask you to remember one thing: your abilities may be of my blood, but it is your time in Smallville and with Jonathan and Martha Kent, and all the people there, that made you a hero, Kal-El."

Unexpectedly, it was an image or a ghost of his father, Jonathan Kent, that stood before him, holding the suit out to Clark. "Always hold onto Smallville, Clark," he said humbly. As Clark took the suit, the image of his father melted away.

Clark knew that to be a hero meant more than parading around in tights or wearing a flashy costume. But the suit meant becoming the embodiment of the hero that he was meant to be. It blended the colors, the memories of growing up in Smallville, with the honor he brought to his Kryptonian heritage. As Lois said, it was a symbol.

Clark knelt down, ready to jump to the skies, to actually fly and defeat Apokolips. He started taking off upwards, as he spun around, up and out, and put on the suit for the very first time. It felt right, free, and triumphant. Clark felt like he could conquer the world – or, what was more in his nature, save it.

He flew at superspeed to Metropolis, where Apokolips was beginning to bear down on the earth, having a concentrated number of people branded with the omega symbol there. Clark eyed the large orb, doubting himself for just a moment before accelerating his speed and crashing into the dark planet. He felt the weight of it sink into his shoulders, like Atlas, carrying the world. But Clark felt strength course through him, the strength of his past, and of his future. He felt he could hear the crowd below him, cheering on the mysterious hero, and that perhaps a few of his friends were cheering him on as well.

He knew Lois was probably watching on TV and getting ready to write the story of the century… And he hoped they could finish what they had started this morning. But it all depended on him defeating Apokolips. Clark felt the dark planet start to give, and its own momentum began to pull it in the opposite direction. Clark guided it, and then pushed it further, until eventually it was out in space…

Clark lingered above the earth for a moment, watching Apokolips disappear into the distant stars. The atmospheric change didn't affect him as dramatically as he had expected, and he realized how much strength he truly had, and that he might only just be beginning to explore what he could accomplish.

He looked down at his adopted planet, which he had just saved from a major catastrophe. He felt humbled and proud all at once. He was given a great destiny, a great responsibility, and he would cherish and protect both with all that he was.

Clark started down towards the earth, back home, towards Smallville – where the next chapter of his life awaited.

~L&amp;C~

Lois wished she had asked Clark to take her to Metropolis to cover all the excitement, though she got a pretty good idea of what was happening on the news.

Still, she was a newswoman and knew that Clark saving the world was the biggest story out there. And it was a chance to introduce the Blur to the world. When she knew they were all safe, she pulled out her laptop and started typing. But she knew Clark couldn't go by the moniker The Blur any longer… it was time to introduce Metropolis and the world, to Superman.

Lois took her laptop to the porch, where she liked to work when she was on the farm. She was typing frantically, still in her wedding dress, her mouth dry with excitement as she recalled how everyone on TV was trying to figure out who the hero was that had saved the world.

"Miss Lane?" she heard a voice say.

Lois looked up from her laptop, and there was Clark, floating in front of the porch, larger than life. Her Superman.

She set the laptop aside and met him on the porch steps, a welcome smile on her face. "You did it, Clark. You saved us all," she said, reaching out to hug him.

"Lois, it was amazing—I –Lois, will you fly with me?" he asked suddenly, pulling out of their hug.

"Are you kidding?" she chortled. "Your mom is trying to settle Joel down for a nap…. I think we have time for a little flight," Lois laughed, feeling giddy. Clark lifted her up, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What a super man…" she whispered in awe, leaning up to give him a kiss as they took off to the skies.

Clark cradled her close to him as they flew across the sky. The sky was a swirl of purples and golds, the atmosphere still disrupted from the near collision with Apokolips.

"So, where are we going?" she asked, staring and marveling at the man she loved.

"Well, I thought we might continue where we left off earlier today…"

Clark held Lois even closer to him as he suddenly went into superspeed mode. They stopped when they were inside Watchtower.

There, Oliver, Chloe, and Sam Lane were waiting for them.

"Daddy! You're all right!" Lois said, rushing over to give her father a hug.

"All thanks to –well, I don't feel right calling him Clark in that, uh, uniform," Sam said, reaching over to shake Clark's hand.

"Then you can call him Superman. Soon that's what the whole world will be calling him," Lois said, grinning.

"Looks like you've finally arrived, Clark," said Oliver, patting Clark on the shoulder. "You did good out there. All us little people were rooting for you."

"I couldn't have done any of it without you guys. Especially Lois," he said, his eyes seeking hers.

Chloe suddenly stepped forward. "So, end of the world disaster averted, would you two like to still get married?"

Lois and Clark smiled at each other. "Yes, please," answered Lois.

"I got certified to officiate weddings while you were off saving the planet. Thought it might come in handy," Chloe said with a wink.

"And I'd like to officially give the bride away, since I missed my chance this morning," Sam offered.

They quickly arranged themselves so that Sam could hand off Lois to Clark, while Oliver stood at Clark's side. Chloe handed Lois her veil.

"Good thing frantic disasters left me no time to change out of my wedding dress," Lois said, grinning happily.

Lois turned to Clark, in all his resplendent regalia, though she only saw the man that she knew and loved.

"Let's keep this short and sweet, just in case there's another looming disaster somewhere," Lois nodded to Chloe to get the ceremony started.

"Do you, Clark Kent, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, till death do you part?" Chloe asked, standing between her two favorite people in the world, a grin on her face.

"I do," said Clark, infusing all the love he felt for Lois in those two simple words.

Oliver handed Clark Lois' ring. "Both rings are fine. I double checked this time," Oliver stage whispered.

Clark took the ring and placed it on Lois' finger, then he held her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"And do you, Lois Lane, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold till death do you part?"

"I do," Lois answered, her heart full, feeling tears in her eyes. She took the other ring from Oliver, and then slipped it on Clark's hand.

"Then by the power vested in me by the City of Metropolis, I now declare you husband and wife!" Chloe said triumphantly. "You may now kiss the bride!"

Clark gently laid a palm on Lois' face as their eyes met, then he slowly leaned down to kiss her, receiving cheers and claps from their family and friends.

"We did it!" Lois whooped triumphantly, wrapping her arms around her husband. "I almost didn't think it would happen."

"I'm glad we made it happen. But Lois, you have to know that you've been the wife of my heart for quite a while now," he whispered, as they stood in their own little world, while their friends opened champagne and turned on some dance music.

"And you've been my husband… you're my heart, Clark," she whispered in answer, reaching up to kiss him again.

Suddenly, Clark pulled away, seeming to hear something in the distance.

"Already?" Lois sighed. "What is it now?"

"A fire… sounds pretty bad. I'm sorry, Lois—" he said apologetically, starting to pull away.

Lois shook her head. "Don't apologize. I knew what I was signing up for. Just – come back to me."

His palm cupped her jaw as he leaned down for another quick kiss. "Always," he breathed, before blurring away in a streak of red and blue.

Lois felt her father's hand rest on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, honey."

"I'm not," she said, watching Superman fly off in a blur of red and blue. "It's what Clark does. And why I love him. He's my hero—and I wouldn't have him any other way."

~L&amp;C~

**Epilogue**

_2017_

_"Joel? Did you do your homework?" Lois called up the stairs after her son who had just supersped in the house from playing outside._

_"Yes, mom!" he called back down._

_"Can you help with the cooking? Your father will be home soon and I haven't had a moment to breathe since I flew in from Washington."_

_Joel was suddenly by Lois' side in the kitchen. "Just tell me what to do."_

_Lois gave her son some instructions, and watched as he cooked chicken with his heat vision and stirred mashed potatoes with his hands – which she made sure he washed beforehand. Joel had mastered many of his powers, thanks to Clark's guidance. He still couldn't fly on purpose, but Lois and Clark often caught him floating in his sleep. _

_Still he was only eight years old, and in a few years, things might become more complicated for him. But Lois and Clark were determined to help him every step of the way, just like the Kents had helped Clark._

_Lois slipped off her heels as she supervised her son and went over her notes from interviewing the President in Washington. There was an election coming up next year, and both her and Clark were trying to figure out how to stop the country from re-electing a Lex Luthor clone to the White House._

_She sighed, when she suddenly felt a breeze and two strong hands massaging her shoulders._

_"Missed you," she whispered, turning her neck to kiss her husband._

_"You'll never believe what happened at the office today," Clark said, moving around the kitchen as he helped Joel finish making dinner. "You showed up."_

_"Me? What do you—" but suddenly, she remembered. Her trip to the future. "Wow… that all had seemed so—far off to me then. It's hard to imagine that now we're here," she marveled._

_"I know… it's been a bumpy ride—" Clark said, coming over to her side to give her another kiss._

_"—but it's been my favorite trip," she whispered happily, wrapping her arms around Clark once more._

**~The End~**

Hope you've enjoyed the journey! I do not as yet have plans for another sequel. This series will probably stand alone. That is, unless I think up an interesting story with Joel that isn't just a rehash of Clark learning his powers. Really this was Lois and Clark's journey to each other. If you have story ideas for what to do with Joel, then leave them in the comments. I won't make any promises, but it may help to feed the creative beast. ;)

Thanks for reading!


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